Enspelled
by Dafina
Summary: Lucius casts a powerful curse upon Hermione. Severus must help her resist its effects.
1. Chapter 1

Enspelled

Summary: Lucius casts a powerful spell upon Hermione. Severus must help her resist its effects.

Pairings: HG/SS, HG/LM, HP/DM

A/N: I'm taking a break from my sequel to _Partners_ for a bit so that I can explore a couple of new plot bunnies. My intention was to start a RL/SS tale, but this plot idea was too good to put aside. The RL/SS tale will come soon.

**Important** As far as this story goes, everything agrees with the books up until the beginning of Book 6, except that Lucius was never arrested. Severus was never Defence Professor and he didn't kill Dumbledore. This starts a week before Hermione's 7th year. I don't really say anything about what happened during the year before because it's completely irrelevant to the story. Suffice it to say that Harry battled Voldie and survived yet again, Harry had a lot of angst/anger issues, etc.

Chapter One: What Started As A Simple Trip

Hermione walked the streets of Diagon Alley alone. Four days before the start of her final year at Hogwarts, she was just finishing up buying new supplies. She had bought what she needed for Advanced Transfiguration, Potions, and Charms earlier in the morning and was now leaving her room at The Leaky Cauldron to go get some parchment and fresh ink.

Aside from the reason that she was shopping alone, everything was perfectly fine. The sun was out and there were hardly any clouds in the bright blue sky. People thronged the streets and judging by the good spirits of Diagon Alley's patrons, it was very hard to believe that Voldemort continued to pose a threat to their safety.

News had come that the Dark Lord had destroyed several villages in the country, but there was certainly no sign of danger in the immediate vicinity of Diagon Alley. Harry speculated that Voldemort was planning something big. He thought it likely that there'd be an attack on a largely populated area soon. Hermione didn't doubt that that was a possibility.

But the potential possibility of an attack hadn't stopped her from leaving the Burrow and taking a room at the Leaky Cauldron. Of course, had she known then of what would happen she would have gladly stayed at the Weasleys, no matter how much of an uncaring selfish prick Ron was being.

After their first shouting match, Hermione didn't have the energy to stay for round two. She could only hope that Harry would be able to talk some sense into the boy before the start of term. Except Harry seemed to be having some problems with Ginny and she half expected him to come join her.

If in a few days, Ron _still_ wanted to hate her because she refused to be his girlfriend, then perhaps it really was for the best that they go their separate ways.

After getting her writing supplies, Hermione thought about going into the new apothecary across from Flourish and Blotts. It had just opened the day before and when she passed it earlier she'd seen that it was packed with customers.

It probably wasn't a good time to go in for the purpose of idly browsing the various exotic and rare ingredients.

As she walked back to the inn, Hermione was completely oblivious to the danger she was in until she felt a man's hand suddenly tighten on her shoulder. She stopped and her heart jumped into her throat. A hand snaked around her waist and she was pulled against the man's body. Hermione dropped the bag she was carrying and was vaguely aware of the sound of shattering inkwells.

A voice whispered in her ear. "Hullo, Miss Granger."

Hermione twitched at the sound of the Lucius Malfoy's voice. True fear stole her breath. Deep, soft laughter came from Lucius's chest.

"For now, no one can see me or hear me but you. Do exactly what I tell you. If you struggle or try to fight me you'll regret it."

Hermione managed to find her voice.

"If you're going to kill me anyway that won't matter much."

"I'm not going to kill you. Now turn right and walk into the first alley you see."

Hermione swallowed hard. Lucius pushed her forward and Hermione had no choice but to walk in the direction he forced her to go. Hermione's heart pounded rapidly and she could hardly breathe.

There was nothing she could do to get away. She'd left her wand with the rest of her things in her room. Lucius's grip was strong enough that she knew better than to test it. Her heart rate increased even further as she thought about what Lucius had planned for her.

The alley came into view and Hermione froze. Lucius shoved her forward.

"Move along, now," Lucius told her.

Now in a terrified daze, Hermione obeyed Lucius's command. Upon entering the alley Hermione sensed a powerful field of magic. It charged the air and Hermione had the unsettling suspicion that Malfoy had created it and that it probably made the alley and all activity within it invisible to passerby.

Five paces into the alley, Lucius released her and she quickly turned to face him.

Lucius's lips turned up into a dark smile. Hermione backed away, though it wasn't as if she had anywhere to go. The wall was less than four paces behind her.

Lucius advanced on Hermione.

Knowing it was futile but unable to just stand there and do nothing, Hermione tried to run to the right, towards the entrance of the alley. Predictably, Lucius's hand shot out and painfully caught her arm, twisting her around to face him.

"Ah, ah, ah, I don't recall telling you to leave."

Hermione's eyes widened in terror as Lucius slowly, firmly, and inexorably drove her against the wall. He made sure that he maintained a powerful grip on her body and positioned her before him in such a way as to completely prevent her from hurting him.

Lucius watched Hermione's face, taking obvious pleasure in the power he had over her. His thigh pressed against her hip and Hermione was very aware of their intimate position. His body touched her lower abdomen. Hermione tensed.

"I'm not going to rape you," Lucius told her. "Though if you disobey me, you can't be certain that I won't change my mind."

Lucius released her. "Stand still,"

Lucius drew his wand and leveled it at Hermione's chest.

Hermione expected Lucius the words to recite the words of whatever horrible curse she was fated to receive, but no sound left his lips. He must have incanted a non-verbal spell. Suddenly, a beam of invisible energy from Lucius's wand hit her just above the heart. Her body absorbed the unseen spell and her chest exploded in sharp, stabbing pain.

Hermione screamed. She continued to feel the magic enter her chest, and the spell seemed to stretch on for minutes.

It had to stop. Surely, it had to stop.

Hermione crumpled against the wall, nearly losing consciousness. The pain was so great that she could only guess that the spell itself was keeping her conscious.

Then suddenly the spell reached completion and Hermione no longer felt the magic being forced into her. Though the pain had only marginally dissipated. It felt as if a knife was being thrust into her chest each time she took a breath.

Obviously, the pain was not the only effect of the spell. The part of her mind that could still function past the physical agony wondered what it had done.

Lucius came to her side and pulled her up, forcing her to get her feet under herself and stand.

Strangely, Hermione felt less pain when Lucius touched her. He now stood in front of her, his gaze locked on her eyes.

"I'm sorry about the pain," he told her in a surprisingly gentle tone. "It will pass in a few hours."

Hermione regarded him warily, trembling with pain and fear.

"What did you do?" she asked him in a weak voice.

Lucius smiled.

"You don't really expect me to answer that question, do you? I assure you that you'll find out soon."

He reached out a hand and touched her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Hermione jerked away from the contact.

"You needn't be afraid of me, Hermione," he told her softly.

The pain in her chest seemed to increase with the absence of Lucius's touch. Hermione didn't care. She'd rather endure torturous pain then willingly let the man before her lay a hand on her body.

Lucius regarded her actions with amusement in his grey eyes.

"Things will be different next time we meet," he told her.

Hermione glared at him.

"There won't be a next time, Malfoy," Hermione told him coldly.

Lucius let out a half laugh.

"We shall see,"

With those words, Lucius Apparated out of the alley. As soon as he disappeared, the magic in the air of the alley was suddenly gone.

Hermione breathed slowly and exhaled unevenly when the pain proved too great for her to draw a proper breath. Gingerly, she took a step in the direction of the alley's entrance. She needed to get back to the inn and she needed to lie down because standing was too much effort.

She hoped that she didn't pass out along the way. A fresh wave of shooting pain radiated through her chest but she restrained herself from crying out. She didn't want to attract attention if she could help it.

Hermione desperately wished that she could take a deep breath. She knew she wasn't getting enough oxygen.

For an instant, she considered trying to Apparate to the Burrow, but knew that it was beyond foolish to attempt something like that in her current state. Hermione left the alley and walked very slowly, concentrating only on putting one foot carefully in front of the other. She was shaking badly now, and a few people gave her some looks as they walked by, but none asked if she needed help.

It seemed to take an eternity for Hermione to reach the doors of the Leaky Cauldron. Every step had been sheer torture. She was sweating profusely and knew she must be very close to passing out.

At least someone was kind enough to hold a door open for her. Inside, people were crowded around the bar and the majority of the tables were filled with witches and wizards talking and drinking.

Hermione's gaze found the staircase near the far wall that led to her room and her stomach plummeted.

There was no way in hell she could walk up those stairs.

Another burst of pain shot through her chest, this one more intense than any of those prior to it and it was all Hermione could do to keep from shrieking.

Somehow she forced herself to approach the back of the room where Tom, the innkeeper was busy pouring beer for the men sitting at the stools along the counter.

About halfway to her destination, a middle-aged witch set down her drink and rose to her feet.

"Can I help you?" she asked Hermione, a kind expression on her face.

Hermione looked at her, dazed. She opened her mouth but she couldn't speak for the pain.

"I . . ."

Hermione went rigid and let out a strangled exclamation. Involuntarily, she took a deep breath which only compounded her agony. She closed her eyes in a silent scream.

Hermione felt the woman gently put an arm around her. She would have surely fallen had the woman not steadied her.

The woman's husband moved to Hermione's other side. The couple helped her into a chair at their table.

Other people began to notice Hermione's distress.

"Is anyone here a healer?!" he called in a voice that carried clearly throughout the entire room. A couple seconds passed and no one gave an affirmative answer.

Then, Hermione watched a man turn around from his seat directly in front of Tom. She found herself staring at her potions professor. He must have come to Diagon Alley to look at what the new store had to offer. Her expression pleaded him to help her, but she worried that he might ignore her. And not necessarily because he didn't want to help her. Even in her stricken condition, Hermione knew that there might be spies watching him. A true Deatheater obviously wouldn't help a mudblood Gryffindor witch.

A look of surprise crossed Severus Snape's face and he quickly stood up.

"I can help her. I'm a potions master and she's one of my students at Hogwarts."

He quickly came to Hermione's side.

"What happened, Miss Granger?"

Hermione raised her gaze to Severus's face. She knew she couldn't tell him that she was cursed by Lucius Malfoy in a room full of people. Besides, she still couldn't find her voice.

She looked at him and shook her head.

When she refused to tell him, Hermione saw from the look in his dark eyes that he suspected that she wasn't suffering from a severe case of food poisoning or something naturally caused.

Severus looked at Tom.

"Do you have a room to take her to?"

"She's staying in room 14."

Severus turned back to Hermione and moved closer to her.

"Put your arms round my neck. I'm going to carry you."

Hermione did as he told her and he easily lifted her, cradling her body against his chest. Hermione closed her eyes, afraid that she'd throw up on her professor if she kept them open.

Less than two minutes later, Severus set Hermione down outside the door to her room.

"I need your key."

Hermione reached into her pocket and deposited the brass door key into Severus's palm. After Severus opened the door, he put the key into his pocket.

He picked Hermione up again and carried her to the bed. He put her down as gently as possible, trying to avoid causing her any undue pain. Her pain intensified tenfold once again as she made contact with the mattress.

Hermione clenched her hands into fists on the bed's duvet. Severus sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You have to tell me where the pain is coming from before I can determine what potion to retrieve from Hogwarts. But first I'd like you to tell me who did this to you. If you can't speak, mouth the words and I can read your lips."

Hermione swallowed and mouthed "Lucius Malfoy."

Severus exhaled rather forcefully. His expression softened a degree or two.

"What did he do to you?"

Hermione leaned back against the pillows and partially closed her eyes.

"He . . . cast . . . a non-verbal spell. I have excruciating chest pain."

"I'll want you to tell me everything you can remember once I've given you a suitable pain killing draught. Can you do that?"

Hermione nodded weakly. Severus rose to his feet.

"I'll return in no more than ten minutes. Please, try to remain conscious."

Hermione stared at him. Was he serious? She couldn't actually control that could she?

"I'll . . . do my best."

The last thing Hermione saw before she closed her eyes entirely was Severus Snape Apparating out of her room.

A/N: More soon I promise. I know this is no place to stop the chapter, but remember that you won't have to wait long for another one. : )


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Beginning

Hermione was drifting towards unconsciousness. Her eyes were lightly closed and she concentrated on breathing comfortably. That alone was no small feat. The pain still came in waves and it was still sickeningly intense, but Hermione now cared less about the pain and more about getting oxygen into her lungs. She needed air more than she needed to avoid setting off the excruciating bursts of agony.

She wasn't aware that Severus had returned to the room until she felt him sit down on the bed at her side. She opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry if I ruined your afternoon. I know you must have better things to do than be here."

Severus stared at her.

"Miss Granger, you've done nothing of the kind."

He held a glass full of something that looked very much like a blue sports drink. Very gingerly, Hermione raised herself into a sitting position. She took the glass from his hand and started drinking. She stopped after two swallows. Not only did it look like a blue sports drink, it tasted like one too.

"What is this?" she asked before drinking more.

"It's a powerful pain relieving draught and yes, it's flavored. You wouldn't want such a large quantity of it otherwise. By itself, it tastes like rotten fish."

Hermione continued to drink the potion. By the time she'd downed three quarters of it, she was beginning to feel normal again. It was bit like not having enough sleep and coming awake with the help of a caffeine saturated cup of tea or coffee. In a matter of seconds, the brunt of her physical pain was significantly dialed down until it was just the merest ghost of what it had been. She finished off the last of the potion with barely noticeable dull ache in the center of her chest.

She took in a deep refreshing breath, relishing in her ability to take in an entire lungful of air with no accompanying pain.

"Thank you," she told her professor with heartfelt sincerity.

Severus Snape merely nodded.

"Now I need you to tell me what happened," he told her. "The potion won't make you drowsy. If anything it's going to keep you awake."

Hermione sat up a little more.

"There's not much to say," she told him. "Malfoy cast a silent spell. He said we'd meet again soon, before he left the alley he forced me into and when he put his hand on my cheek after he cast the spell the pain was significantly less intense."

"Obviously, the pain was not the aim of the spell. Did he give you any indication at all, no matter how small it might have been, of what he was planning?"

Hermione didn't immediately answer.

"He told me I'd find out soon what the full extent of the spell was."

"I gather he didn't give you a specific time?"

"If he had, I would have told you, Professor Snape."

"Soon could mean anything from a few hours to a few days. A week is the longest it can take for a curse to manifest."

Hermione gave Snape a level look.

"Has Lucius mentioned anything to you about doing something to me?"

"No."

Snape held Hermione's gaze and there was something in his eyes that convinced her he was being completely honest.

"It seems he's been planning this for some time," she told him.

Snape nodded.

"Lucius Malfoy can be a very private man. I doubt he's told anyone what his intentions were or else I would have heard something."

"So what do I do?"

"You wait, Miss Granger. I'm afraid that's all you can do, for now."

"And when I find out what the true effects of the curse are?"

"Come to me, and we'll discuss it."

Hermione looked at the man sitting next to her.

"Is that my only option?"

Snape studied Hermione's face. "Is the idea of confiding in me truly so repugnant?"

"That's not it, Professor. I just wouldn't think you'd really want hoist the burden of whatever problems I might be facing. I'm sure you have enough to deal with as it is."

Something changed in Snape's expression. Hermione couldn't quite name what the change meant.

"Miss Granger, I want you to come to me. Truly. I might be the only person who can help you."

Hermione was silent for several seconds.

"Put like that, I suppose I've got no choice," she said resignedly.

Snape did not drop his gaze. Well, it wasn't as if she didn't have a reason to be significantly less than thrilled about relying on him for help. On multiple occasions, he'd given her the distinct impression that he was a cold-hearted, arrogant elitist. Knowing this prompted the next sentence that came out of his mouth.

"I'm only an insensitive bastard when I want to be, Hermione."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at that, the look on her face almost comical. It was as plain as day that the words "Come again?" were poised on her lips. The man had actually called her by her given name.

Perhaps he had a fever.

"I'll be sure to bear that in mind, Professor," she said at last.

Snape stood up and walked over to the desk. He took a card and a ball-point pen out of his pocket scribbled something and handed the card to Hermione.

"Here's where to find me, should you need to talk to me in the next two days."

Hermione saw that he'd given her a business card from the new shop she'd walked by with the name of a hotel in London followed by a room number. It made sense that Snape was staying in the Muggle part of the city. That way he'd be harder to find and could meet with members of the order without worrying about arousing the suspicion of Death Eaters that were trying to keep tabs on his actions.

"If I need to I'll come talk to you. Otherwise I'll see you at school."

An acknowledging nod was the only response Hermione received. She leaned back into her pillows and watched her Potions Professor leave the room.

A/N: Next chapter will make up for the shortness of this one. I had college and a vacation, now I should be updating weekly, sometimes more often.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: I Think I've Died and Gone To Hell

For thirty-six hours nothing happened to indicate that Hermione had been hit with a dark spell from Lucius Malfoy. After twenty-four, Hermione had actually started to hope that Lucius hadn't cast the curse properly and thus the earlier pain was the only result there would be. Hey, even the most experienced dark wizards make mistakes, right? Of course, Draco's father had shown that he was hardly incompetent in the dark arts.

When it became apparent that the spell had in fact worked, Hermione knew she never should have questioned Lucius's prowess at casting curses.

At first Hermione thought she was coming down with a fever. Within half an hour of first feeling unusually hot, Hermione' skin was flushed and sweat stood out on her skin as if the temperature in the room was over twice as high as it should have been. She drank a cold glass of water. It did nothing to chase the heat away.

For a little bit she wondered if Lucius had somehow found a curse that could cause a person to react as if they'd been infected with a particularly virulent biological pathogen. Something like anthrax, perhaps. As waves of heat rolled over her body Hermione stared into the mirror, wondering what Lucius had done to her.

She was uncomfortably hot, but she didn't have any accompanying symptoms that one might expect to have if they were coming down with some sort of virus or bacterial infection. She didn't feel like she needed to vomit and her heart rate wasn't elevated. She splashed some water on her face and sat down, concentrating on breathing deeply.

When Hermione felt an unfamiliar throb starting between her legs, she jerked her head up, emitting a very high pitched squeak in protest. Her eyes widened in horror as the throbbing persisted, becoming slightly painful. Hermione squeezed her legs together and let out an uneven breath.

_Well, what exactly were you expecting, Hermione?_

In a horribly logical way, it made sense. Lucius _had _said that he'd be seeing her soon and that things would be different when they next meant. The only way that he could be sure that things would be different would be if he used magic to ensure that Hermione would think a little differently about him. And of course, a man like Lucius Malfoy wouldn't think twice about forcing her into being receptive to having sex with him.

The thought was nearly enough to make her retch onto the floor.

Hermione shot out of her seat upon realizing that the area between her legs was quickly getting very wet. She nearly shrieked. She ran to the bathroom, threw off her clothes and jumped into the shower, turning on the water as cold as she could stand it.

Her sense of logic jumped to the fore of her mind. Perhaps this was only temporary, though truthfully, she didn't believe that for a second. She wasn't sure how long she stayed under the shower, but when she finally started shivering, she got out and started to towel herself dry. Her skin was hyper-sensitive, and she did her best to dap as lightly as she could when she got to the spot that was beginning to drive her mad.

As she touched the towel to her flesh, her mind suddenly snapped to an image of Lucius Malfoy pleasuring her with his hand. The picture should have made her sick. It didn't, and that's what scared her more than anything she'd experienced thus far.

She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the thought and let out a cry of frustration, horror, and fear. She dug her nails into the wall and sank down to the floor, curling into a ball.

_Why?_ she thought, _Why did I think I could come and stay here alone? Why couldn't I have stayed at the Weasleys? I should have known better than to be so obliging to Lucius by practically offering myself for an attack._

Hermione didn't usually cry, she firmly believed it was a waste of time and energy. Crying certainly didn't accomplish anything. She cried now.

So much for being able to talk to her Potions Professor. She could only imagine how a conversation with him might go now.

_Professor Snape, it seems that the goal of the curse was to make me want to give my virginity to Lucius Malfoy. You see, the curse succeeded in making me more than a little hot and bothered and I'm sure all I need is for him to screw me a few times and then everything will be better. Know where I can find him?_

No. No, she couldn't be doing this. Now even her thoughts were betraying her.

_Perhaps I can get a Lucius Malfoy voodoo doll and stick some pins in it where it's really going to hurt_, she told herself.

A loud tapping noise at the window brought Hermione out of her thoughts. A jolt of fear spiked her stomach and Hermione sat up. The noise sounded like a bird trying to get in. Hermione had certainly heard enough owl beaks on glass to know the sound. No-one knew she was here except for Professor Snape. And she definitely wasn't going to see him now.

The sound persisted and Hermione stood up, securely wrapping the towel around herself.

She walked into the bedroom, opened the window and let in the large barn owl that had been hovering outside. There was a small scroll attached to its leg. She quickly untied the message and glared at the bird who seemed to be expecting a treat.

"I don't have anything for you," she told the bird.

The bird looked at her, gave a sad little hoot and took off, leaving Hermione alone to read her message. Her heart jumped to her throat as she quickly realized that the message wasn't from Snape.

_Now Hermione, I told you things would be different, didn't I?I always mean what I say. You must know that the only way to find relief is to come to me. Nothing else will alleviate your burning desire for sexual contact. Don't delude yourself into thinking that it will simply go away with time. It will only get worse. I can give you pleasure greater than anything you ever imagined and satisfy your every desire far better than anyone else you might go to. I am, after all, the one who placed the spell on you and no matter what you might tell yourself, it's me you'll be wanting between your legs._

An address of an expensive hotel about a mile or so down the street was provided, along with a room number.

Hermione dropped the parchment as if it were a poisonous insect. She was trembling.

If Lucius was waiting for her, he'd be waiting for a very long time. She wasn't going to his hotel room. He really didn't know her very well, did he? She'd much rather suffer than let him take her virginity.

A part of her mind told her that she was being foolish. Was it really worth torturing herself?

Besides, considering physical looks alone, Lucius Malfoy _was _a very attractive man.

She forced the thought from her mind. She wasn't going to think about him like that.

Hermione sat down on the edge of her bed, trying to ignore the physical symptoms of the curse.

Was this what an animal in heat felt like?

"It's like I've died and gone to Hell," she told herself.

Hermione slept fitfully for the next three nights. She was grateful that when she did actually sleep, her slumber was blissfully dreamless.

She was able to sleep even less during the night before her last train ride to Hogwarts. She woke up two hours before she needed to and got ready to leave.

Normally, if this had happened, Hermione would just pull out a textbook and read to pass the time. As it was, reading was the very last thing she felt like doing.

Not for the first time, she wondered who the new Defense Professor would be. The last thing she needed this year was for it to be some horrible bitch like Umbridge. She wished that it could have been Remus Lupin again. Dumbledore had tried to reinstate Remus but the Ministry had firmly stood against him. Unless Dumbledore was able to pull another suitable candidate out of his hat, Hermione feared that the Ministry would appoint another person to the position as they had done with Umbridge.

For a fleeting second she considered the possibility of Lucius Malfoy teaching at Hogwarts and then started to laugh hysterically.

Had anyone been watching her, they might have thought she'd gone insane. Her laughter certainly didn't sound sane.

As Hermione made her way to Kings Cross, she knew she should have been feeling some sort of bittersweet emotion as it was the last time she'd be making the trip. She couldn't have dredged up any feelings of sadness had someone offered to pay her in cash for doing so.

No, at the moment she was incredibly numb and strangely detached from any and all emotions. And only a small part of it was from a serious lack of sleep. Nearly three days after the first onset of the spell's effects, Hermione's physical need for sexual contact had remained alarmingly strong. Somehow, by sheer dint of will alone, she'd managed to block out all thoughts of Lucius Malfoy, naked, on an expensive silk sheeted bed, having very creative and satisfying sex with her.

Rationally, Hermione knew that there was a possibility of Lucius being at platform 9 ¾ to see Draco off. But it was a distant thought. If she'd had more energy, she would have been more worried. At that point, her state of mind didn't allow for her stress level to rise.

There was a throng of people and loud activity swarming around the Hogwarts Express. The noise sounded louder than it was. Having to force herself to do the task, Hermione slowly scanned the crowd for the Malfoys, a sharp jolting twinge of fear rocketing down her spine.

People rushed past her as she turned in a full circle taking in every little visual detail of her surroundings. Her frayed mind half expected Lucius to be hiding behind one of the bags of luggage spaced out along the ground. When after a full minute had gone by and she didn't see him, Hermione relaxed half a degree.

She started to take her bags towards the train when she tensed suddenly, almost spasmodically, at the sight that met her eyes. Severus Snape was steadily making his towards her. His eyes locked on hers and Hermione felt her stomach plummet. She felt very much like the proverbial deer in headlights.

Students stopped what they were doing, there conversations suddenly cut off, as they watched their Potions Professor walk by. Hermione watched him draw closer, watched as he raised his wand with a fluid flourish, performing a spell that suddenly froze everyone and everything in the vicinity of the train. Bags that were being tossed onto the train hung in midair. Even the steam rising from the train stood frozen in time.

Despite everything, Hermione was momentarily awed by Snape's display of power. She was Hermione Granger, after all.

Before she knew it, Snape stood before her, his expression a study in deadly intention, though Hermione could tell immediately she was not the cause of her Professor's severe displeasure. She could only think of one thing that would bring him to her here, like this.

"There's a problem," he told her. "As of this morning, Lucius Malfoy has become this year's Defence Professor."

Hermione looked up at him, the color quickly draining from her face.

"Miss Granger, has anything happened yet?"

For a fleeting second, Hermione had the urge to bolt away, again, much like a frightened deer. Somehow, she managed a jerky nod.

"We need to talk and I can't hold this spell for much longer. Perhaps I can take you into London and buy you some tea or coffee?"

Again, Hermione managed a quick nod.

"Leave your things here, we'll come back for them."

Snape lead the way back to the barrier, Hermione trailing a little distance after him. Before reaching the wall, Snape turned and waited for Hermione to catch up to him. He then drew his wand and with a quick flick of his wrist, set all the people and objects into motion once more. Hermione and her Potions Professor disappeared unseen through the barrier and into Muggle London.

A/N: Yay, another chapter in less than a week! Lol, I'm off to go make brownies. (Seriously.) I'll have another chapter soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Laughing at Giraffes

Hermione and Severus found a cozy little café not far from Piccadilly Circus. They sat down at the back of the room, Hermione sitting with her back to the wall. Severus fixed her with a level look.

"You haven't said two words since we left the platform," he told her.

"No, I haven't."

"Perhaps first I can get you to tell me what you'd like to drink?"

Hermione swallowed hard.

"Do they serve coffee with any type of liquor here?"

Severus glanced around.

"It's doubtful," he told her.

"Plain, black coffee is fine then."

Severus gave Hermione a quick nod and departed to place an order. Hermione let out a long nearly silent sigh and dropped her head into her hands.

She shuddered visibly at the discussion that was about to ensue. Of course she wasn't entirely certain she was going to be able to get the words out. How was she going to begin?

And _if _she proved successful at telling her Professor that she had a very definite physical craving for sex, what would he say? She supposed that the best she could hope for was a polite referral to a Muggle doctor specializing in the treatment of the condition known as Persistant Sexual Arousal Syndrome.

Lucky her. Or not. Assuming she found a nice female gynecologist who believed Hermione had the incredibly rare condition, (Hermione only knew of its existence from watching one of those medical television programmes with her mum), what could they really do for her?

Well, whatever it was, it wouldn't be Snape's problem.

Maybe she should just leave and begin to go about finding a medical professional that would suit her.

Snape was going to refuse to have anything to do with her now. There was a chance he might be human enough to be polite about it, but there was no doubt in Hermione's mind that he'd dismiss her in some way or another.

Hermione's stomach tied itself into a double knot as she watched Snape return to the table. He said nothing as he sat the insulated cup of coffee in front of her and sat down. Hermione stared at the cup as if it might have had great secrets to the meaning of life embedded in the depths of its Styrofoam.

Maybe it did. She was more than willing to stare at it for a good long while to find out.

"Have you, perhaps, suddenly forgotten how to talk?" Severus asked, somewhat less acerbically than Hermione might have expected.

Hermione flicked her gaze up to meet his eyes and then quickly looked at her cup again.

"Not as such, no."

"My, my, four words in a row. I _am _impressed."

Hermione staunchly ignored him. At least the very worst of her fears had been put to rest after spending more than minute or two in Snape's presence. It appeared that Malfoy's curse wasn't going to cause her to throw herself at every man she fancied.

Oh yes, she did fancy her Potions Professor. It was a secret she was quite determined to take with her to the grave. If she had anything at all to say about it, no one would ever know she'd had several interesting fantasies about said professor ever since she'd first developed an attraction to him just before she'd turned sixteen.

She blamed her mother for her unusual desire. She knew her mother had had an affair with one of her university professors. It had ended when her mother winded up pregnant and the man refused to welcome the child. The prick had actually wanted her mother to have an abortion. In the end there was a miscarriage, much attributed to how horribly cruel the professor had treated her mother when she'd tried to get him to accept the child.

Of course, Hermione would never have been born had her mum been able to work things out with her lover. Hermione seriously wondered if she had some sort of weird genetic predisposition for lusting after older, scholarly men. Not that it mattered, there was _never _going to be anything between her and the man currently sitting in silence across the table.

She was aware that he was still watching her intently, but she didn't care.

"While it's clearly obvious you do not wish to speak to me, I'm not about to go anywhere anytime soon."

Hermione didn't immediately reply. Finally, she locked her gaze on Snape's eyes. If she was going to do this, she'd damn well do it with a convincing façade of confidence.

"I'm only going to say this once," she began. She blew out a barely audible exhalation and decided to get on with it. "Because of the spell, my body is urging me to seek Malfoy out for sexual intercourse, all right? It's persistent, it's painful, and I really, really, _really_ don't want to talk about it."

Silence. Snape's expression revealed absolutely nothing. If he was surprised, he hid it very well.

"I believe that brings Lucius to a new low," Snape told her, a dark penetrating coldness in his gaze. Hermione looked away, resuming the task of studying her coffee cup. "Miss Granger, I'm sorry, but I must know, are the effects purely physical or are you experiencing psychological symptoms?"

"I'm not exactly lusting after the man to the exclusion of all else, if that's what you mean," Hermione told him carefully.

"That's good to hear. It's apparent that he doesn't want to attract suspicion, if he placed a curse with a strong mental compulsion on you, it would be much easier to prove he attacked you. For your sake, I'm glad he decided to be smart about it."

"The Imperius Curse would have been less painful," Hermione said, almost to herself.

"The pain's gone, isn't it?"

Hermione nodded.

"But the memories of it aren't."

Snape looked at her then, _really _looked at her, and something deep and unspoken passed between them. Hermione's heart worked its way into her throat as she thought about what the present look in her professor's eyes meant.

Severus Snape had experienced a good deal of physical pain.

For a while, no one said a word. Hermione didn't ask him to share and Snape certainly didn't offer.

Snape's expression changed.

"Miss Granger, are you quite certain you still wish to attend Hogwarts this year?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, not quite sure she'd heard correctly.

Snape gave her a look telling her that he knew damn well she'd heard him the first time.

"I'm asking in all seriousness. If you say no, there are other options for your education. Hogwarts isn't the only institution of its kind as you well know."

Hermione let out a soft snort.

"I hardly think I'm Beauxbaton material, Professor Snape."

"Was I suggesting that you were? France isn't the only country with an academy for witches. There are plenty of other countries with suitable schools."

"I can't run away," Hermione told him simply.

"I thought as much, but I still had to ask. I hope you realise that going near Lucius could worsen the effects of the spell."

"The thought _had _in fact occurred to me, Professor Snape. I think if you knew how much I truly despised him, you'd know that there's no chance of me falling into bed with him. I'm stronger than the persuasive magic he's trying to use to manipulate me."

"Of course you'll say that now."

Hermione narrowed her gaze.

"I don't think I appreciate what you're implying," she said icily.

"If he's going through this much trouble, he must have one hell of a reason for wanting to entice you into having intercourse with him. Lucius Malfoy never does anything without an agenda," Severus said, thinking. He gave Hermione a serious look.

"If he was only interested in sex, he would have raped you."

"What is he after then?" Hermione asked, in a smaller voice than she'd intended.

"I don't have a good answer to that, right now. Look, are you absolutely certain you won't leave the country?"

"Would it really do any good? If he really wanted to, couldn't he track me down? You can't say for sure that he'd give up if I left."

"Lucius still has to keep up appearances. He can't easily leave his position at the school to come find you."

Hermione leveled her gaze on Snape's eyes.

"Sure he could, Professor."

"Perhaps so, but it _will _be harder for you if you stay."

"I'm not going."

Snape glared at her. No words left his lips but Hermione didn't have to be a Legillimens to know he was thinking something along the lines of how stupid Gryffindor witches could be.

"Is there no way I can prove that he attacked me?"

"Do remember any kind of magical field encompassing the place he took you to cast the spell?"

Hermione looked a little surprised.

"Yes, why? What does that mean?"

"It means that he used magic to prevent you from proving he attacked you. If he cast the spell within the confines of the correct magical shield it will be as if the incident never happened and even if questioned under Veritaserum he would be able to deny coming anywhere near you."

"He wrote a message to me and sent it via owl to my room at the Leaky Caldron, but he didn't sign it."

"It won't make a lick of difference. Because of the concealment spell, even physical evidence can in no way be undoubtedly connected to him."

"Damn."

Snape cocked an eyebrow. Hermione held his gaze.

"Yes, I know my four letter words. We're not at Hogwarts, so it's not as if you can deduct House points. Besides, I _could _have chosen one much worse than that."

"Indeed."

Hermione took a sip of her coffee.

"Lucius is going to find out that I missed the train. People are going to talk and I'm sure you know how fast gossip can travel. Are you not worried that he'll suspect you had something to do with that? And how can you be certain that someone won't see me Apparate to the gates and walk to the castle?"

"Ah, there's the Granger I know. I'd wondered when the consecutive questions would start."

Hermione ignored the remark. Snape's face became coolly smug.

"The only way Lucius will know you weren't on the train is if you, Dumbledore, or I tell him."

Hermione opened her mouth but Severus held up a hand.

"Dumbledore constructed an especially realistic simulacrum of you to appear and get on the train. As far as your companions know, you're there with them right now having pleasant conversation. For all intents and purposes the simulacrum is entirely you, with all of your memories and mannerisms. Think of it as a sort of three dimensional stamp of yourself. What I'll do later is transport you with a stored spell that Albus gave me and you'll appear exactly in the space that your simulacrum is occupying. The only catch is that you must replace the simulacrum before it enters Hogwarts. Because Albus didn't have much time to create the simulacrum it will only fool your fellow students. Anyone else, with the exception of Filch and Hagrid, will immediately know it isn't you."

Hermione was suddenly aware that her jaw had dropped and she shut her mouth with a snap. She didn't say anything for over a minute.

"Professor Snape?" she finally asked.

"Just ask your bloody question, girl."

"Might you be able to make a potion for me that will counter the spell's effects?"

Snape's gaze turned unexpectedly sincere.

"I'll certainly make you one, . . . as to whether a potion will allow you some relief remains to be seen."

Hermione nodded.

"But you're a Potions Master, that might make a difference for the better in a potion's effectiveness, right?"

"It might."

Snape didn't sound especially optimistic. But then, he was Snape. Hermione sighed wearily.

"So, the train doesn't get in for another seven hours. Are you going to send me to the train directly so that the real me can finish out the ride with my friends?"

"Unfortunately, I can't do that. The train is a fast moving location and therefore too unstable for me to try to get you inside it. If I wasn't precisely dead on my mark, there's a very real chance you could get killed. I'd rather not take a chance with your life and I'm sure you don't want to take the risk of getting hit by a train. Instead, we'll wait until the train has arrived and the students are approaching the castle. I have a charmed watch in my pocket that will alert me at the proper time."

Hermione tried very hard not to think too much about what Snape had said. If she did, she was afraid she'd be having very vivid nightmares.

"So, are we just going to sit here for the entire time?"

Snape graced her with his best _don't be ridiculous_ look.

"No," he told her. He swallowed and it seemed that he was trying very hard not to grimace. "Though it pains me to say this, Albus has instructed me to take you to the London Zoo for the afternoon. He also suggested something about shopping, but I firmly refuse follow you from store to store like some puppy on a leash. And I'd sooner swallow one of Hagrid's pet insects than stand around while you browse through racks of women's apparel."

The look on his face was utterly priceless. Hermione knew that it would have undoubtedly scared some of the first years absolutely shitless. She couldn't help it, she giggled.

"To be fair, Professor Snape, I _do _like books you know. But I haven't been to the zoo in ages."

Snape stared at her, still trying to come to terms with the fact that she'd actually laughed at him. He'd been teaching for over a decade and not once had a student ever laughed at him in his presence. He was Severus Snape and he prided himself on his ability to purposely pretend that he had no sense of humour. He certainly made it a point to never do anything funny. Yet somehow, against all odds, he'd managed unintentionally to make Hermione Granger laugh! He was too stunned to come with a suitably scathing barb.

"The zoo it is then. Come along."

He rose and Hermione did the same, her face showing no sign of recent mirth. For a split second, Snape found himself wondering if he'd somehow imagined that she'd laughed at him. No one laughed at him, accept for Albus Dumbledore and he certainly didn't count.

Well, the girl certainly had some brass in her. Snape glanced at her. Perhaps she'd find a way to get through this Lucius Malfoy situation unscathed. Severus found that he hoped the coming year at Hogwarts wouldn't prove too much for her to bear.

The London Zoo was crowded on the late summer day. It was fairly loud with people talking, the occasional screaming child, and the sound of strollers being pushed on asphalt by parents of younger children.

Hermione smiled at an adorable four year old girl riding on her father's shoulders. When she was little, her father would take her to the zoo and she'd do the very same thing.

When the girl and her father passed them, Hermione turned to Severus.

"What?" he asked.

Hermione gave him a brief considering look and then dropped her gaze.

"Nothing."

She _really _wasn't sure why, but she was picturing what her Potions Professor would look like with a little girl on his shoulders. It was just one of those quirky thoughts.

Snape narrowed his gaze, seeming to know damn well that whatever Hermione was thinking it was most assuredly _not _nothing. Feeling the force of his stare almost like a tangible thing, Hermione looked at him again.

"Why don't you like children?"

Snape blinked.

"I don't have to give you an answer to that."

Hermione sighed and looked away. She really had asked the question without thinking.

"I'm sorry. I realise it was inappropriate for me to ask you such a personal question."

They walked in silence for several paces.

"Miss Granger, as a woman of relative intellect I'd think you'd know better than to think that a man who has no children of his own must by default have some sort of aversion to them."

Hermione didn't know what to say to that. To avoid any further embarrassment she chose not to say anything at all.

She and Snape went with the crowd, looking at whatever exhibits seemed to have the best view of the animals due to the amount of people watching. They didn't say much other than occasionally commenting on the aesthetic elements of the animals' habitats.

There was an especially large crowd at the giraffe enclosure. Snape looked disdainfully at the mass of humanity. Hermione worked her way closer to the front and Snape followed her. As soon as Hermione could see through a space in the crowd her face lit up with excitement.

"Oh, they have a baby!" she exclaimed with delight.

Snape came to stand beside her as she claimed a space directly facing the mother giraffe and her calf. Snape saw that Hermione was all smiles. He told himself it had been worth bringing her to the zoo to let her have a moment like this. The gods knew she wouldn't be afforded the same when she was at school this year.

Snape regarded the little giraffe. His facial expression as impassive as ever, he was the only person in the crowd who wasn't smiling.

The baby giraffe stayed close to her mother regarding the people rather uncertainly. After a bit, she took a couple tentative steps towards the crowd. She lowered her head to sniff the ground.

Snape was ready to move on. Or at least he was until the little calf suddenly let out a loud high pitched sneeze, shaking her head in surprise. Her ears went to the side and Hermione's smile deepened. Predictably, she made some sort of girly noise at the cuteness.

Contrary to the beliefs of some, Severus Snape was just a mortal human. And somewhere in his being he did actually have a heart, though he kept that fact very well hidden.

In plain terms, only a complete and utter psychopath could watch a baby giraffe sneeze so endearingly without cracking at least a small smile.

And despite what Harry Potter might have personally believed, Severus Snape was no psychopath.

Snape smiled. It wasn't even just a mere twitch of his lips. It was a full blown, genuine smile. The smile stayed on his face long enough for Hermione to see it.

She froze at the sight.

"All right," she said. "Who are you and what have you done with Professor Snape?"

Snape sobered.

"_Really_, Miss Granger. Do you expect me to glare at a baby giraffe as I would at a particularly dim witted first year?"

Hermione only looked at him.

"Maybe."

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Let's move on. If we see another baby mammal sneeze I promise I'll glare it right into next week."

"Oh dear God. You . . ." Hermione paused, and then continued in a very small voice. "You made a joke."

"Don't tell anyone," Snape told her.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"Trust me, your secret's safe. No one would believe me anyway."

They walked on. As they moved away from the crowd, Hermione gave Snape a very small smile of gratitude.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

Snape nodded elegantly.

The rest of the time passed quicker than Snape had originally expected it to. When they finally left the zoo, Hermione was in considerably better spirits than she had been when he'd first encountered her.

They came back to Platform 9 ¾ to find Hermione's luggage just where they'd left it.

"I'll send this to where it normally would have gone if had been on the train."

Hermione looked at her belongings, suddenly coming back to the reality of her situation. At the zoo she'd been able to shove the physical symptoms to the back of her mind. She tightened her legs together as she stood, seriously lamenting the fact that she couldn't make her problem go away through sheer dint of will before she set foot in Hogwarts.

Unfortunately, Fate was being a downright bitch.

She swallowed hard and looked at Snape.

"How soon can you have a potion ready for me to try?"

"Tomorrow. You'll be in my class at eleven and then we both have a break. You can come to my office when class is over."

Hermione nodded.

"You have his class tomorrow at two-thirty," Snape said. He paused. "It's not too late to change your mind about going someplace else."

Hermione shook her head.

"I can't give him the satisfaction of making me run away."

Snape drew his wand.

"The students should just be starting their carriage trip up to the castle. You need to go."

"So I'll just suddenly appear in one of the carriages?"

"Yes. You'll drop down into your simulacrum. It'll dispel on contact. The change is unnoticeable to the human eye."

"Right. I guess whenever you're ready, so am I."

Snape aimed his wand at Hermione and she flinched. The action made Snape hesitate.

"No, I'm fine. Or at least as fine as I'm going to be."

Snape refrained from commenting any further. He said the words to a spell in melodic fluid latin and Hermione instantly found herself sitting next to Harry in a carriage. It seemed that Dumbledore didn't muck around when it came right down to getting things done. She'd been expecting some kind of spiral travel similar to that of portkeys and Apparating.

Instead, everything had been as quick as a wink. There had been a quick sensation of having something pulled out from under her and she'd felt as if she'd fallen two feet or so. She blinked. She hadn't even seen the simulacrum. Everything had happened so fast.

Harry certainly hadn't seen anything strange. He was looking out the window at the light spitting rain.

Hermione had to remind herself not to say hello.

Harry turned to her.

"So, do you reckon the Defence teacher will be male or female? I would have asked what you thought earlier, but I didn't want bother you with your headache. You seem to be looking a little better."

"I don't know, Harry. We'll find out very soon. And I still have a headache."

She really did, too.

"I don't mean to be short with you," she added.

Harry smiled.

"No worries. You might feel better when you've had something to eat and drink."

"That might be what I need," she told him.

All the while she was trying her level best not to let her growing fear show. It was as if a large cold hand was squeezing her chest.

She forced herself to smile at Harry. She was quickly discovering that it was exceedingly difficult to put on a convincing act when all she could think about was how frightened she was of Lucius Malfoy.

Hermione had had her chance to bow out and had turned it down.

Now she had to face the consequences. She only hoped that she hadn't made the wrong decision.

A/N: ) Who loved Snape in this chapter: )


	5. Chapter 5

Enspelled

Chapter 4: Ill Anticipated Shock

Terror and pain mixed together never made for a calm and rational individual. Currently sitting on the bench at the Gryffindor Table, waiting for the feast to begin, Hermione was realizing that quite well. But it went well beyond fear and sharp physical discomfort. While fear and pain alone was terrible enough without anything else added to the mix, Hermione felt that she had found a combination that was far, far worse.

Fear, pain and sexual desire. Lucius Malfoy sat next to Severus at the High Table and looked for all the world as if he didn't even know she existed. In the minutes following her arrival in the Great Hall, Hermione understood how overly proud and stupid she'd been to actually think she should try to endure Malfoy's presence. If she could take back what she'd told her Potions Master, who was also presently ignoring her, she would.

To say that what she felt now was Hell would be a vast understatement. All she knew was that she had never felt a worse physical or mental feeling. It was only by sheer force of will that she prevented herself from showing any outward signs of her condition. She sat extremely tense, regretting with all her heart that there wasn't an easy way out of her current predicament.

Someone was talking. She heard the words but couldn't have told anyone what had been said, or even if the voice was male or female. That alone should have scared her, but what was much more frightening was the intensity of her purely physical need to seek sexual release. To say that she lusted after Lucius Malfoy wouldn't be a lie. But somehow what she was experiencing didn't quite fit that description. Lust was too elevated of a term, what she felt was purely physical and much more simple. Animalistic would be a better way of putting it.

She didn't need a complicated sexual act. Lust usually inspired one's imagination and that was where Hermione's desire fell short. She was quite definitely sure that all she needed was for Lucius Malfoy to take her forcefully from behind.

Her heart immediately leapt to her throat and her breath caught. She suddenly shuddered and quickly suppressed a small shriek. It came out as a squeak instead. She was sure she'd just had a mini-orgasm thinking about sex with Lucius.

"Hermione?" a voice to her left asked.

_Oh Merlin, NO!_

Hermione turned her head to face the speaker. To her abject horror, it was Ron. She stared at him, and she felt certain she looked very much like a deer in headlights. She was quite afraid that she was incapable of speech.

"You're shaking. Are you feeling all right? You can have my cloak, if you like. I tried to talk to you a moment ago, but you were thinking about something else coz you didn't answer. Harry told me you had a headache."

"I'm just feeling a little sick," Hermione told him. It wasn't a lie.

The food of the feast had appeared on the table.

"Maybe you should eat a biscuit or something," he told her.

"I don't think so," Hermione told him more forcefully than she would have liked to.

Probably thinking that she was moody because she wasn't feeling well, Ron shrugged and turned to his plate.

"It was only a suggestion," he said, a little hurt by her tone.

She should have said something to make him feel better. She didn't.

She was a little unsteady when she picked up a glass of water and took a very small sip.

Everyone around her was engaged in their meals. She wished she could flee from the room. Was there any place besides Gryffindor Tower where Malfoy wouldn't come looking for her? No, probably not.

She tried to empty her mind of Lucius Malfoy. She failed miserably. His presence put a pull on her body. If this had to continue day after day there was going to come a point in time where she'd be powerless to stop herself from finding Lucius Malfoy and demanding that he fornicate with her.

Bile rose in her throat at the thought and the next thing she knew, she had broken the glass she'd been holding. Water trickled off the edge of the table and her empty plate caught most of the ice. Vaguely she was aware of Harry and Ron shouting her name and also that she had a piece of glass stuck in her palm with a wound that was now bleeding freely.

The entire room was silent. Hundreds of eyes were now fixed on the Gryffindor Table, most of them directly staring at her.

For some incomprehensible reason, she had the absurd urge to break down into insane laughter.

_I just might lose my mind before this is all over_, she thought.

The Hogwarts Mediwitch approached her and numbly Hermione rose from her seat with the help of Harry and Ron on either side of her.

"Come, dear. We'll sort you out," Poppy said kindly.

_Oh no you won't,_ Hermione thought sardonically.

Hermione left the room, thinking that not only was this the start of her worst months at Hogwarts but also the worst of her life.

He should have forced her to leave the country. He should have told her parents to take her to America or some place so that she could have been spared the excruciating suffering that was to come.

Lucius had certainly pulled out all the stops on the intensity of the spell he'd placed on Hermione.

Severus wished he could still hope that there was a time limit to the spell's duration, but unfortunately for Hermione, he felt it was beyond unlikely that there was any way of removing the spell without having Hermione give her body to Lucius Malfoy.

"I wonder what possessed her to do that," Lucius drawled musingly. "You know the girl, don't you Severus? Is she prone to doing such things?"

Severus glanced over at him. Conversation had resumed once more in the chamber.

"Believe it or not, Lucius, that girl is has the highest marks of all the students at this institution not in my House," Severus told him. He deliberately made no mention of her being better than any student in Slytherin as well. There really wasn't any need to tell Lucius Malfoy _that_. If he learned the truth later, a devious and sadistic Death Eater like Malfoy certainly couldn't hold a little bigotry against Severus. In Malfoy's mind, Severus hoped it would only cement the fact that he was truly loyal to Voldemort and was hard at work playing Dumbledore for a fool.

"What's her name?"

"Hermione Granger."

"Oh yes, I remember Draco telling me about her," Lucius told Severus in a low voice. "Said she was a naïve little prude, but thinks it might be fun to fuck her. He thought there'd be some spirit to her. Do you think he's right?"  
Severus downed a little more of his wine.

"Wouldn't know," Severus told him coolly. "I don't make a habit of doing Gryffindors, Lucius."

Lucius laughed as if Severus had said something quite witty. Severus ignored him, he was busy wondering if there was any way he could poison Lucius without getting caught, mentally running through a list of poisons and their properties. Unfortunately for him, the sudden death of a man of Lucius Malfoy's social status would bring a competent and detailed investigation. He needed a poison that left no trace and brought a death that looked legitimately like a natural cause.

As skilled as he was at potion brewing, Severus doubted he could find one that fit that category. Though of course, it wasn't as if he couldn't do the research.

Hermione had lied through her teeth to Poppy, and the witch had taken her at her word. Hermione had complained of a particularly vicious menstrual cycle with unbearable cramps while Poppy took care of her hand. She had Hermione drink some kind of pain killing and muscle relaxing tea. It was actually a remedy Hermione had taken before the previous year, and Hermione knew it was perfectly permissible to take the drink as a preventative so wasn't concerned about taking it now without actually experiencing the condition for which it was prescribed.

Poppy had tried to get Hermione to stay the night in the Hospital Wing to which Hermione had flatly refused. The witch made her promise ten times over to come back if the "pain" got worse or wasn't controlled with the tea.

She was really happy that both Harry and Ron were walking back with her to Gryffindor Tower. She didn't want to imagine what would happen if she were alone and Lucius somehow managed to cross her path. To her relief, Harry and Ron didn't attempt to pull her into conversation.

She felt a little better once she was through the portrait and standing in the Gryffindor Common Room. People were talking and laughing and generally socializing after the summer holidays. Hermione was in no mood to join them.

She slipped away, after saying a quick good night to Ron and Harry, to an empty dormitory. She thought she'd have trouble falling asleep. But now that she was no longer in Lucius's presence, her physical discomfort was not excruciatingly unbearable. Though it was still seriously noticeable, the tea Poppy had made her drink probably drugged her enough to allow her some sound sleep.

For the first time in several days, Hermione slept considerably peacefully.

At least that was something.

A/N: I'm back. Seriously. Some of you might not believe me, but it's true. : )


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: More Misery

Hermione woke the next morning thinking that somehow she'd dreamed her entire horrific condition. But as she moved into a sitting position, she found that her body still had a very real desire for Lucius Malfoy. Her physical distress was nearly as bad as it had been last night in the Great Hall.

She showered and dressed for classes, forcing herself to focus on going to class. Fortunately for her, she wasn't supposed to go to Defence Against the Dark Arts until tomorrow.

She also forewent any substantial breakfast. Though it might not have been the best thing to do, she really couldn't bring herself to eat more than a package of crackers she'd had in her room with half a paper cup of water.

She glanced at herself in the mirror before going where people would see her. She didn't think she looked too terrible. Maybe she had a bit of a flush to her cheeks but certainly it could have been worse.

She went off in a semi-hurry to her Transfiguration class, hoping she wouldn't be the last one there.

Hermione entered the classroom just after Harry and Ron. She sat down at the end of the table that the boys were just putting their bags on top of. Harry looked at her.

"You weren't at breakfast. Are you certain you're all right?"

"Yes. It's nothing, Harry. I promise."

When he gave her a look she put on her best real looking fake smile.

"Really," she told him.

Professor McGonagall saved her from any further dialogue by calling everyone's attention.

For the first fifteen minutes of class Hermione took detailed notes, letting her brain focus on the task of copying down everything the professor said more or less verbatim. When the practical part of the lesson began, Hermione found herself wishing for the first time since she'd started at Hogwarts that she hadn't come to Transfiguration.

She'd somehow forgotten her wand. It was still sitting where she'd left it last night next to her bed. It made sense given what she was feeling that she really wasn't thinking about normal things. She had no notion how she was going to explain such a major faux pas to her favorite teacher, especially since she couldn't mention anything remotely truthful.

Her fellow classmates now all had their wands out and were starting the task of turning rocks into footstools. She glanced, mortified, at the piece of rock McGonagall had placed before her. Perhaps she could smuggle it from the classroom and use it to bash Lucius's brains in.

To Hermione's utter horror, McGonagall had begun to pace about the room, watching students cast their spells. It wouldn't be long at all until she found Hermione sitting idle for the first time in her classroom. Hermione glanced at Harry who was staring a bit dumbfoundedly at his rock.

"A footstool, huh? I suppose it's got to have one of those fluffy cushions on it, yeah?" he asked Ron.

Ron glanced at McGonagall's desk on which an average sized footstool now rested, adorned in gold silk ruffles.

"She didn't specify what kind of cushion exactly. I suppose you could make it less ruffley."

"Right," said Harry. "A manly footstool then."

The next thing out of Ron's mouth made Hermione's stomach twist in embarrassment.

"What's Hermione doing? Hers probably has diamonds embroidered into it or something."

Both boys looked in her direction. She tried really hard not to look upset. She didn't think she was pulling it off.

"Why aren't you practicing the spell?" Ron asked.

For a few seconds, Hermione could only stare as she tried to think up a quick and easily plausible reason for her leaving her wand behind. Of course, she was drawing a blank. She opted for giving him what could almost pass for smile. She was on the verge of forming a reply when Minerva McGonagall came to stand directly in front of her.

"Yes, Hermione, do please tell me what on earth it is that could prevent you from participating in my class."

Hermione forced herself to meet her teacher's critical gaze.

"I wasn't precisely feeling well this morning."

"I'm sorry, child, but that doesn't excuse you from today's lesson. If it's severe enough that you can't concentrate on the material you should be in the Hospital Wing."

Hermione swallowed hard.

"May I please be excused, Professor McGonagall?"

"Not just yet, Miss Granger. Before you go I want you to attempt today's spell."

Hermione forced herself to remain calm. She really, really wished this wasn't happening. Taking a deep breath, she looked away from Professor McGonagall.

"I wish I could, I _really_ do, but given my current state of illness, as I went about my routine this morning, I somehow managed to leave my wand behind in my room."

She didn't look up. She _couldn't_. She could easily imagine the look on her Professor's face. It seemed to take a few beats for the Tranfiguration Professor to bring herself out of speechless shock.

"Miss Granger, forgive me for saying so, but you don't appear to be ill enough to forget your wand. What exactly is going on?"

Hermione was acutely and painfully aware that everyone in the class had stopped what they were doing to watch their conversation. She suppressed the urge to shout at them to mind their own business.

"Perhaps you'd like to speak with me out in the hallway?" McGonagall asked.

It wasn't really a question.

Hermione obediently rose from her seat and followed the old witch out of the room. McGonagall closed the classroom door and placed a quick soundproofing charm upon it so no one could eavesdrop.

"Hermione, are you all right, child?" McGonagall asked with sincere concern.

Hermione looked at her. For a few seconds she was unsure how to answer. A part of her really wanted to tell McGonagall everything. It shocked Hermione that she was dangerously close to breaking down into tears. In no small part was that due to the fact that even as she stood in front of Professor McGonagall, she was feeling a painfully sharp sensation between her legs that she knew would only be getting worse the longer she refused to give into Lucius's demand.

Hermione let several seconds pass.

"I will be. It's just I was really sick before school started and I'm still not completely well. I promise I won't let this happen again."

McGonagall wasn't buying it. She'd certainly been around enough to know when someone was holding back.

"Hermione, please know that you can tell me anything. Even if you don't think you can, just know that I won't judge you. You haven't been yourself since you arrived yesterday. I'd like you to let me help you. You just need to tell me what's troubling you."

"It's really nothing to worry about," Hermione said as kindly as she could.

Minerva McGonagall looked at her and did not immediately respond.

"I want you to know that when a witch is feeling magically and physically out of sorts it could be because she's pregnant."

"I'm not pregnant," Hermione told her quickly.

_At least not yet._ Hermione immediately gave herself a mental slap. She really shouldn't have those kinds of thoughts.

"All right, but if you were it wouldn't be something to be afraid of."

At that moment classroom dorms opened down the hall and students began to make their way to their next lessons. Hermione watched them for a couple seconds, her eyes focusing on the room farthest down the hallway. The last student stepped out into the hallway but almost immediately another figure appeared standing in the doorway. Her chest tightening with fear, Hermione stared into the eyes of Lucius Malfoy. She'd had no idea that Malfoy's classroom was on this floor. It certainly wasn't where previous Defence Against the Dark Arts classes had been held. Malfoy stared back at her and the corner of his aristocratic mouth quirked up in a smug half smile.

Hermione remained perfectly still, barely even breathing. Staring at Malfoy immediately aroused her aching body nearly to the point of agony. Hot liquid desire pooled at her center and her breath caught in her lungs.

Lucius then retreated from the doorway. Hermione's body relaxed a fraction of a degree.

"Hermione, you're not listening to me."

"I'm sorry! What did you say?"

McGonagall gave her a rather disapproving look. The Transfiguration classroom door opened and the Gryffindors left. Harry and Ron hung back.

"If you decide you want to talk to me, please come see me at any time."

"Of course."

"I hope you are better prepared for the next lesson."

Hermione gave her an honest look.

"I will be."

"Good, off you go then. I hope that you'll be one hundred percent soon."

McGonagall returned to the classroom and Hermione didn't wait for Harry and Ron before setting off in the opposite direction from Lucius's classroom. She really was on the verge of tears.

"Oi, Hermione, wait up!" Ron called loudly.

Hermione forced herself to stop while her two best friends caught up with her.

"Where are you off to?" Harry asked.

"Potions," Hermione said in a slightly numb tone.

"Ron's got Charms, but I also have Potions. Didn't particularly want to take it this year, but I made it into the class and it's required for Auror training."

"Great. I'd rather not walk there alone."

Harry gave her a sidelong look and Ron cocked his head a little.

"Are you really okay?" the two boys asked in unison.

"I'm fine. I really wish everyone would stop asking me that question."

"We're sorry," Harry said, "We don't want to upset you."

"You don't have to apologise."

The three walked in silence for a bit.

"If there's anything we can do to help you, you'll let us know, right?" Harry asked.

Hermione almost laughed. She glanced at him and strangely, she found that she felt hardly any desire for him as a sexual partner, apart from the obvious fact that he was indeed a male. She thought about sexual intercourse with Harry, and while she wasn't entirely turned off by the idea, what she felt in response to the thought was hardly one hundredth of the reaction she had to Lucius Malfoy.

"Right," Hermione told him.

They reached the staircase and said goodbye to Ron. He threw Hermione a heartfelt look of concern before turning away. Hermione pretended she hadn't noticed.

She liked Ron, really she did. But she liked him as a sister would like her brother and nothing would ever change that.

Hermione was very happy that Harry didn't try to press her into conversation as they continued on their way to the Potions classroom. They weren't the last students to arrive and Hermione took a seat next to Harry.

Snape was sitting at his desk, writing something when they came in and he glanced up unobtrusively as Hermione sat down. She didn't meet his gaze.

The lesson began and Hermione barely paid attention. They were going to be making a Serenity potion but if it was stirred incorrectly, it would turn the wrong color and induce intense and excruciating light sensitivity in anyone who drank it.

Hermione worked practically on autopilot, meticulously following the instructions for the potion. She successfully completed the hardest part of the potion adding the powdered moon orchid at the same time that she stirred the potion with a back and forth motion twenty-five times.

Snape walked around inspecting cauldrons, commenting tersely here and there or very rarely offering a curt "good," where it was deserved.

Snape slowly walked past Hermione. She paid him no attention and he made no comments. Hermione started to stir her potion fifty times changing the direction of the stirring every two circles.

Up until this point Hermione hadn't let her pain cloud her judgment. She'd worked through it, diligently producing a potion of extraordinary quality until Severus Snape had decided to go near her.

As she tried her damnedest to ignore her pain, Hermione's mind conjured up the bizarre scenario of her lying naked beneath her Potions Professor, moaning shamelessly as he drove both his hand and his cock inside of her.

She quickly shut the thought out of her mind, but the damage had already been done.

Hermione, of course had stopped stirring. If she tried now to continue she would have likely been off on the direction. She watched in numb horror as her potion turned an opaque fuschia.

It was then she threw in the towel and started to cry. Not terribly loud, but tears poured freely down her cheeks and she made no move to stop them. She didn't think she'd ever felt more terrible than she did now.

The stirring was the last step to the potion and Harry finished after another minute or two. His potion was a vivid sky blue, the precise color it was supposed to be.

Harry looked at her, the look in his eyes one of sincere concern. He put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. Hermione considered trying to smile and tell him that she was okay, but she realized before she did it that it was beyond dumb.

Of course she wasn't okay.

"Professor Snape, may we be excused?" Harry asked. "I'm going to take Hermione to the Hospital Wing."

The class was a mix of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws and everyone who had completed their potion was watching them. Those who were still working were trying to see what was going on while still getting everything done right.

Snape leveled his gaze on Harry and Hermione. He didn't look particularly pleased.

"No, you may not be excused, Potter and neither may Miss Granger."

"But Sir! You can't possibly"—

"Shut up Potter!" Snape snapped. He then addressed the class. "I want everyone's potions on my desk within the next five minutes. Anyone who talks will lose _all_ of their House Points. Dare to try me and for the first time in Hogwarts history I'll make sure that points are reduced to negative numbers."

Harry sent a cold glare in Snape's direction. Snape coolly ignored him. Harry bottled his potion and set it on Snape's desk.

Hermione watched everyone else in a sickened and fearful daze. There was absolute silence while students scrambled to clean their workstations as quickly as possible. After that was done, everyone practically ran from the room. When Harry and Hermione were the only ones left Snape shut the door, magically locked it and charmed it against even the most advanced of eavesdropping charms.

He then went to his desk and took a bottle of Perrier from one of its drawers. He walked over to Hermione and placed the drink in front of her.

"Perrier, Professor Snape?" she asked, a little surprised. In another situation she might have laughed.

"Albus gives it to me and he won't let me refuse to take it. You need to drink it. I doubt that dehydration would make your day any better."

Harry looked from Hermione to Snape and then back to Hermione. The look on his face said that he was more than a little confused.

"Why do I get the feeling that you already know what's upsetting her?"

"Your astute perception impresses me, Potter. There may yet be hope for you."

"Are either of you going to tell me what's going on?" Harry asked seriously, ignoring Snape's last comment.

"It's up to Miss Granger to decide what she wants to tell you."

Harry turned to Hermione and a look that was part bewilderment, part concern, and part fear crossed his features.

"Hermione, what is it? Please, tell me. If you don't want anyone else to know that's fine, I won't tell anyone, not even Ron. But I really want to know what's troubling you. You're beginning to scare me."

Hermione took in a deep breath and let it out shakily.

"Lucius Malfoy found me in Diagon Alley and cast a spell on me," Hermione told him slowly. She didn't meet Harry's gaze. The next part was much harder for her to say.

"What kind of spell?"

Snape sent a look in Harry's direction. Even with his defiant streak, Harry knew better than to press Hermione while Snape was giving him that look. After all, he wasn't suicidal.

"Lucius placed a physical compulsion on me that heightens my sex drive to the point of pain and makes me want to have intercourse with him."

Silence. Well, at least she'd said it. She found that she felt a fraction better.

"That's illegal. Why can't you go to the authorities and get him sent to Azkaban?"

"Because, Potter, Lucius specifically tailored the spell in such a fashion as to leave no trace that he cast it," Snape explained.

More silence.

"Oh," was all Harry could manage to say.

_Yes, _oh _indeed,_ thought Hermione.

Harry looked at Snape.

"How do you know about this?"

"I found Miss Granger shortly after Lucius cast the spell."

"Is there anything that can be done for her?" Harry asked.

"That's certainly the question, isn't it Potter?"

Hermione looked up at her Professor.

"Please, there must be something you can do to help me. I can't live like this."

Snape had a look on his face that Hermione had never seen before. Certainly she'd never been in a position such as this one before, but still the expression of compassion in her professor's eyes caught her a bit off guard.

"I'm not sure there's anything I can do for you, Miss Granger. Last night I researched the most obvious choices of potions that could be of use to you and I'm afraid that the magic of Lucius's spell would be unaffected by the magic of any potion I might give you. Because the magic in the spell and the magic in the potions are polar opposites the physical conflict between the two would make you violently ill. As bad as you may feel right now, Miss Granger, I somehow doubt that you would wish to compound your discomfort by having to vomit every nine minutes for twelve hours."

Hermione looked at Snape.

"You know what? I just might be willing to take that risk."

"If I work through the night I can have a potion ready for you by tomorrow morning. Can you meet me here at eight o'clock?"

"Eight o'clock it is."

Snape looked at Harry.

"You'll escort her here."

Harry gave him a look that said he already had the same idea.

"Of course I will. That goes without saying. You think I want to let her risk having Malfoy catch her alone?"

"No, Potter. I merely wanted to make sure we understood each other."

Snape let out a heavy breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Hermione was still crying and he hadn't the slightest idea of what to say to her. Crying teenaged girls weren't exactly one of his topics of expertise.

Harry tentatively put an arm around her shoulders. Hermione didn't flinch away.

"What will I do if the potion doesn't work?" she asked, her voice wrought with hysterics.

Harry looked at Snape. The man's expression was unreadable.

"I'll kill Lucius and make it look like an accident."

Hermione stared at him.

"Really?"

"That's very unlikely. But I wouldn't say it's outside the realm of possibilities. Unfortunately I know he's immune to several popular poisons and the ones that aren't so popular still leave distinguishing signs on the body. If I find an obscure poison that leaves no trace you'll be the first to know."

"I get the feeling that could take awhile. What would I do in the meantime?"

Snape crossed his arms over his chest and gave Hermione a pointed look and then slid his gaze to Harry.

Hermione felt her cheeks grow hot at the thought of what Snape was implying.

"_That_ wouldn't work!"

Suddenly she jerked away from Harry's arm and stood up.

"Hermione, please don't go getting your knickers in a twist. Honestly, I think Professor Snape is just trying to be realistic. Considering the intensity of the situation, what else would you want to do?"

Hermione looked at him.

"Not that."

_And really, Harry I think the question right now is more along the lines of _who _else would I want to do. Of course you're too much of a gentleman to say it._

"In this situation, and this situation only, is the thought of us making love really that repulsive to you?"

_God, you really, really don't get it._

Hermione flicked a glance in Snape's direction. His expression was neutral.

"Unfortunately the only way it might remotely have a chance at helping is if you turn yourself into Lucius Malfoy first."

Snape's expressionless mask cracked as he arched a brow.

"Come now, Miss Granger, surely there must be someone else you wouldn't mind substituting for Lucius."

Hermione was very afraid that if she looked at him she'd burst into insane laughter. She forced herself to meet her professor's gaze.

And in that moment she realized she really, really didn't have anything to lose, so she took the plunge.

"Weird as this may sound, Professor Snape, I'm _really, really, really _not interested in having sex with someone my age. If I'm going to get someone to satisfy me I'll need an experienced and virile man with exceptional stamina who isn't afraid to get rough."

Hermione was vaguely aware that her voice had dropped down to a rich sexual purr. Fierce and molten arousal flooded her senses. Even if she'd wanted to, she wouldn't have been able to stop herself from saying what she said next.

"Besides Lucius, there are two men I wouldn't say no to. One of them is Remus Lupin, the other one is you."

Hermione stared at her professor, her chest heaving slightly as she began to pant softly, trying her level best to regain her composure. Slowly, she was able to clear her mind and relax.

The room was strangely quiet.

Not surprisingly, Hermione started to cry again. Shaking, Hermione gathered up her belongings and without another word she headed out of the classroom, leaving her botched potion and all of the scattered ingredients at the table.

"Hermione!" Harry called out hoarsely, hoping to get her to stop before she began walking through the halls alone. Hermione didn't break her stride. Despite her best intentions and her obvious loathing for Lucius Malfoy he didn't really trust her to stay away from him, especially at a time like this when her physical desire was so utterly maddening.

"Stay with her, Potter. I don't think she should be left alone."

"Nor do I, Sir."

Harry rose from his seat a little slowly.

"Then hurry up and go after her for Merlin's sake!"

"Yes, I'm going to do that. It's just that it's a bit difficult for me to run with a painful erection, Professor."

Snape leveled a near lethal look at Harry.

"You think _you're_ suffering, Potter? I have a fucking class to teach in ten minutes."

Harry blinked at his professor's use of language. "Right. Sorry. I'll go find her, with any luck she'll head straight for Gryffindor Tower."

"Make sure she eats something."

Harry nodded and made his exit from the dungeons. The door closed loudly behind him and Severus was finally alone. He shuddered violently and used every bit of his training in mind magic to extinguish the fire in his blood.

He was going to be teaching first year potions in a few minutes. Once his body was under control again, he set about cleaning Hermione's workstation.

If he ended up murdering a student or ten before the next period was over Albus would just have to understand. He was ready and willing to make good on his previous threat to go down in Hogwarts history as the first professor to deduct House Points into the negative digits.

The poor first years really wouldn't know what hit them.

A/N: I'll try to update once a week on either Thursday or Friday. Please tell me how you liked this long chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Pain and Desperation

Chapter 7: Pain and Desperation

Harry didn't know what to do. Hermione barely said two words after leaving the potions classroom. At least she'd responded to his awkward, "Here, eat this," without throwing any of the proffered food in his face. He supposed that at least was something to be thankful for. It had been obvious from the moment he'd caught up to her in the corridor that she wasn't interested in discussion. Privately, Harry was more than a little relieved. It wasn't as if he had any notion of what, exactly, to say to her. And until he had some sort of idea, it was just as well that he didn't have to hurriedly think of something to say on the spot. He considered it a small consolation that Hermione wasn't angry with him for insisting that she eat and drink in his presence.

Presently, Harry sat in the Gryffindor Common Room, waiting for Hermione to come downstairs. He glanced at the clock for the third time in fifteen minutes. It was sixteen minutes until eight oclock. He hoped Hermione hadn't changed her mind about taking Snape's potion, but he had a bad feeling that she might try to avoid the man after what had happened yesterday.

If only Harry had known just how desperate Hermione had become, he wouldn't have even thought about worrying. Hermione approached him less than a minute later, showered and dressed for class, the expression on her face one of withdrawn anxiety.

Harry was about to ask how she'd slept but quickly thought better of it. He could only imagine what kind of sleep Hermione had managed to get and one look at her eyes told him it had been gods knew how long since she'd gotten a decent period of truly restful sleep.

His heart went out to her. He looked at her again, wondering what would be appropriate to say, when he noticed she was trembling slightly. Harry's expression sharpened with concern.

Not knowing what else to do, Harry stepped forward and pulled Hermione into his arms. She drew her breath in sharply but did not immediately push him away. After five or six seconds she stiffened and stepped out of Harry's embrace.

"Oh gods, Harry, I know you're trying to help me. And I appreciate your display of concern, truly I do, but please, _please_, don't touch me," Hermione was staring, stricken, into Harry's eyes, her voice tight with pain. Her hand flew to her mouth and she tried to stifle a high pitched sob. She swallowed hard in an attempt to stave off her tears.

Harry backed away a couple of steps

"It's okay. I understand. I'm sorry, I didn't realise . . ."

"It's _not _okay!"

"No, it's not, I know it's not, I didn't mean it that way. I just wish I knew how to save you from having to be in so much pain. It hurts me to see you suffer, Hermione."

"Let's go see Professor Snape. Maybe you can say a prayer to whatever gods might be listening that this potion will alleviate my condition."

"Of course," Harry said softly, a heartfelt smile of reassurance beginning to tug at his lips.

Hermione turned and set off and Harry followed half a step behind.

At Snape's office, Hermione raised a trembling hand to announce her arrival, but Snape preempted her by opening the door before she could knock.

"I heard your footsteps," he told them, leveling a direct look at Harry and Hermione. Despite an inner voice telling herself that it was the worst thing she could do, Hermione immediately dropped her gaze and took two steps backward. She cursed herself several times, knowing that she couldn't very well avoid her professor's gaze for long without being inanely obvious about it. Surely, he couldn't fault her for her actions. Had he even thought about what she had done, or was it absolutely nothing to him? Either way, it hardly mattered, she told herself. Regardless of any instinctual reaction he might have had to her sexual display it wasn't as if there was any chance in hell of him actually inviting her into his bed.

As the seconds stretched on, Hermione was acutely aware of the silence.

"Miss Granger, could I have a word with you in private?" asked Snape, looking at Harry like as if he were a particularly offensive piece of rubbish.

Hermione started, as if jolted by a mild shock of electricity.

"I'm not sure that's necessary, Professor Snape," she told him in what she hoped was an even voice.

Snape folded his arms across his chest and gave her an implacable stare.

"Trust me when I tell you that it's necessary."

Hermione swallowed hard and did her level best not to shy away from Snape's gaze. She did a pretty commendable job. Snape held the door to his office open for her, waiting for her to enter it. As she did so, Snape pulled the door shut.

"Now Miss Granger, I have a potentially helpful potion ready, but if it should prove unsuccessful, I've taken the liberty of brewing you a particularly powerful birth-control draught. It may well be that the nature of your curse will prevent any potion, no matter how masterfully produced, from alleviating your condition. If that's the case, you really must think about looking to Potter for relief. No matter what you feel now, I'm sure you'll consider changing your mind if the potion is unable to diminish your discomfort. Quite frankly, it's the only option you have, and I suggest you learn to get used to the idea before things get out of hand. I'm concerned that your wherewithal to refuse Lucius will dissolve with the prolonged persistence of his spell. I'm not suggesting that you're ready to give in to him tomorrow, but whether it's tomorrow or three weeks from now, it hardly matters. You'd still be giving Lucius what he wants, not to mention the emotional and physical degradation on your part would be much too high of a price to pay to free yourself of the compulsion. I haven't any good explanation for why he's doing this, and considering that it's Lucius Malfoy, trust me when I say you should distance yourself as much as possible from him and hope he grows tired of pursuing you. For if he doesn't give up, you'll quickly wish that you could go back in time and do things very differently."

Hermione looked at Snape sharply.

"You know as well as I do that Harry can't relieve my pain, _sir_."

"I'm sure he'll endeavor to try."

Hermione straightened her spine and took a step forward.

"Yes well, while I'm sure you're right, Professor Snape, I can honestly tell you that _Harry's _best efforts wouldn't even begin to satisfy me. There really is no point in making him have sex with me. Besides, I'm sure he still fancies Ginny. Would you have me irrevocably ruin my friendship with her as well? No, don't answer that. You wouldn't care who I hurt as long as I refrained from throwing myself at Lucius Malfoy."

Snape's unyielding expression didn't change, telling Hermione she'd been completely accurate in choosing her words.

"Sometimes, Miss Granger, we must do things we decidedly don't enjoy in order to keep decidedly worse things from happening," Snape said darkly. There was something strange and unsettling present in his eyes.

"I won't argue that's not true in certain cases, but that doesn't mean you should take the path of most resistance every time in order to prevent potential catastrophe. Your potion had better work, because I'm not sleeping with Harry."

Snape stiffened, obviously making an effort to bite back any abrasive retorts that awaited release from his lips.

"Fine. But tell me this, what, exactly, will you do if this proves insufficient at alleviating your sexual desire?" Snape held up a glass flask filled with a faint yellow colored liquid.

"What would you do if you were me?" Hermione asked boldly.

Snape's expression turned glacial.

"Miss Granger, you are overstepping your bounds as a student of this school."

Hermione returned his gaze steadily.

"Ask me if I care," she told him. Her pain and heightening physical lust coupled with her fear and frustration was making her behave irrationally. She drew closer to where Snape was standing in front of his desk.

Snape tightened his jaw in growing anger. He set the potion on the desk with a little more force than was necessary.

"Drink this and get out."

"No. Our conversation isn't over." Hermione was now standing so close as to nearly be touching him, and he could not move to get away in either direction without first touching her. "You have no idea what I'm going through. But I want you to try to imagine. What would you do if you were cursed and had an agonizingly painful erection that wouldn't go away unless you slept with Lucius Malfoy? Think of how you would feel if the curse made you desire him in ways that would make a seasoned prostitute blush and no one who might try to slake your sexual hunger could measure up to the sexual magnetism and appeal of Lucius. If you truly hated him as much as I do, think of how much you would hate yourself for harbouring intense lust that only grew stronger until all you could think about was having sex with him. But then pretend, as hard as it might be for you, that you felt the stirrings of a deep physical attraction to me."

"Miss Granger," Snape said tightly.

"Shut up, I want you to hear me out and answer one last question."

Hermione brought her body against his, letting her hips come fully into contact with his. She held herself still against his growing erection and stared meaningfully into his eyes.

"What if you were certain that I was the only one who could soothe your body's burning need, but were too afraid to ask me to your bed? What would you do if I willingly offered myself to you and if you only just said yes I'd pleasure you until you forgot all about your curse? Would you let me pleasure you, and you pleasure me in return?"

Snape's entire body was tense and his hands were clenching the sides of his desk in a painfully white-knuckled grip.

"Miss Granger, you would do well to get off of me," Snape ground out in a low and strained voice.

"Answer the bloody question first. And don't you dare lie to me."

"If it were as simple as what you just sketched out, _yes_, I would bloody well accept your offer. But there's much more to it than that and you'd damn well better remove yourself from my body before I make any further explanations to you."

Hermione didn't immediately comply. After a short pause she stepped off to the side and Snape nearly groaned aloud. When he spoke he didn't look at her.

"If I had sex with you, we'd both be jeopardising our futures in more ways than I care to mention. For one, you can be sure that Lucius isn't fool enough to relinquish any suspicions as to what my true loyalties are. Careful as we might be, if he were to learn that I was servicing you, it would be very difficult to successfully make him think I wasn't doing it to prevent you from having to give yourself to him. I know he knows I hate him, if only because of the deeply rooted rivalry between us within Voldemort's circle. I'm the very worst person you could pick for a partner, it would only put your life in greater danger. And it's not only Lucius we'd need to worry about. You have to think about how many people are in this school and then truly consider the odds of one of them finding us together in a compromising situation. Your opportunities at higher education would be instantly and irrevocably crushed, not to mention your opportunities for employment. It would be the worst kind of scandal, one that everyone would remember for years. No man worthy of the air he breathes would want you for a wife. Your only option would be to leave the wizarding world forever and I daresay your place here is too precious to put in such jeopardy. You would come to hate your life."

"What about you?"

"I'm sure Voldemort would catch wind of my reasons for bedding you and there would be nothing I could say or do to make it look like anything other than what it truly was. That would be the end of me, as I'm sure The Order would make no attempt to save my life."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"You should stay away from me as much as you can. If that potion works at all, I can provide regular doses through the guise of giving you something to prevent migraines and menstrual pain. Besides that, you really have no reason to seek my assistance. I'm sorry I can't make Lucius go away, but now you're going to have to fight him largely on your own. You can't expect me to shelter you from harm, Miss Granger, especially not now. What you've done, you can't take back. Things have changed between us. You can't come see me again like this. I don't trust you to control yourself. If you were to let your feelings for me spark again in my presence . . . even if it was unintentional, . . . you'd be putting me in a very difficult position like you did just now. I'd really prefer if you never did that to me again. I doubt you'd much like my response."

"What if I'm not strong enough to continue refusing Lucius?"

Snape gave Hermione a long look.

"Lucius Malfoy is one out of only a few men I've met in my life who are truly, irredeemably evil. Lucius is a sexual sadist and a rapist. He tortures both women and men with pleasure in his heart. Remember that when you're trying to keep your legs closed."

Hermione stiffened as if Snape had physically raised a hand to her. There was something in his tone that reminded her of his usual bitingly acerbic comments in the classroom, but it was the way that he had delivered his words that had hurt her the most. She forced herself to meet her professor's gaze and told herself she wouldn't let tears well in her eyes. The tears welled anyway but Hermione didn't give them time to spill onto her cheeks. If it had been his intention to make her feel worse than she already did, he was utterly successful. She took the potion from his desk and knocked it back in three swallows.

Shaking slightly, she set the empty container down and met Snape's gaze one last time. She knew he could see that her eyes were beginning to glisten with unshed tears. She didn't particularly care. She wouldn't let him make her cry a second time.

The two of them held each others' gaze for a long moment. Hermione wasn't about to say anything. She was still shocked at the way he'd spoken to her and she feared that anything she might say would only prompt him to say something hurtful.

Hermione turned and left, her mind replaying Snape's last words as she exited his office. She wasn't sure why his comment had hurt her as deeply as it did, and it didn't quite follow that she should allow her cheeks to flush in embarrassment and shame. It was Snape. This is what he did.

How stupid had she been for letting herself be attracted to him?

She knew better now.

She was just going to have to deal with Lucius by herself, just as he'd said.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked gently.

"I don't know. The potion hasn't had any affect on me yet, good or bad, I guess it'll take a few minutes to do its thing."

"If I said I knew you were holding something back and out of deep concern for you I asked you to tell me what that was, would you?"

"It's not something I want to talk about. Let's just leave it at that."

Hermione headed towards the dungeon stairs and Harry didn't press the issue.

"Do you want some breakfast?" asked Harry.

"I suppose I could eat," Hermione told him.

Harry gave her a small smile, Hermione tried to return it.

"I know you didn't do your Charms homework, so I brought mine with me so you could copy it."

"I never thought I'd have to do that."

"I know, that's why I made Ginny and Parvati look it over last night."

"To breakfast then," Hermione said starting to climb the staircase.

She sincerely hoped that the rest of her day would prove to be better than the morning.

A/N: Sorry for the delay, school keeps me busy. The next chapter won't take as long.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: And When You Think Things Couldn't Get Worse, They Do

Severus could have killed something with his bare hands, especially if that something was Lucius Malfoy. If it were possible for anyone to be worse than Voldemort, Lucius would take the prize for being that someone.

Hermione really didn't deserve this. Severus almost wished that he hadn't come across Hermione in the Leaky Cauldron. He really couldn't do anything to help her, and though it was selfish on his part, he'd rather not have to witness her suffering and know that by ignoring her attraction to him he was only hurting her more. Yes, it would have been far better if he'd never learned of Lucius's curse on Hermione. If that were the case, he wouldn't be thinking about her now.

As he prepared for his fifth year class, he hoped the potion did something to help her. He didn't let himself consider what would happen if it didn't.

Hermione sat next to Harry and Ron in the Charms classroom, trying her damnedest to ignore the building sickness in her stomach. Maybe, just maybe, if she didn't think about it, it would go away. She really couldn't afford to miss class. Taking a slow, deep breath, she willed herself to feel better. The potion had to work, and it wouldn't be able to do that if she suddenly vomited it all up on the front table of the Charms classroom.

It had been nearly an hour since she'd taken the potion and she'd had a light breakfast of toast and water. Though she wasn't noticing any appreciable difference in her condition she still had hope that it would take at least an hour for the potion to work through her body, especially given the intensity of Lucius's spell. Potions weren't exactly like spells, it sometimes took time for their effects to fully manifest.

If the potion didn't work at all, Hermione was dangerously afraid that she'd have some sort of nervous breakdown. Wouldn't it be fun if everyone in the school saw her go crazy? She would have thought that after more than three solid days of this, she would become somewhat dulled to the constant barrage of pain between her legs. But of course it was probably the nature of the curse to ensure that as long as she avoided Lucius she'd never have a moment's peace. It was enough to make someone of lesser strength scream in frustration and pain.

Going to Lucius was the last thing she was going to do. She was a Gryffindor, and it was to her advantage that he'd underestimated her willpower to resist him. But truly, how much more of this constant torture could she take? Everyone had their breaking point. How long would it be before she reached hers?

"Miss Granger, perhaps you can answer the question?"

Professor Flitwick's voice. _Oh shit_. Hermione hadn't been aware of how long she'd not been paying attention to the class. She was acutely aware of the entire class including the Professor waiting for her to speak.

She'd copied Harry's homework, but she hadn't even read what she was copying. And here she was supposed to be the smartest which at her school. Apparently that was debatable.

"Can you repeat the question?" she asked.

"What's the difference between the spell used to call water and the spell used to create water from ice? We'll be practising the two in class today."

Hermione swallowed.

"Isn't it the same spell?" she asked. She really thought it was too. The incantations were certainly the same.

"Not quite, Miss Granger. The words are the pronounced the same way, yes, but the wand movements are subtly different. When calling water, you must make a small and quick clockwise rotation of your wand, when turning ice into water you must make a short up and down motion with your wrist."

Hermione only stared. She really, really should have known that. And she bet money that if she hadn't been under Lucius's spell she would have had no problem answering the question, because she would have actually done the reading.

She heard some people muttering in astonishment that for once there was a question that she didn't know the answer to. She didn't care.

"Are you all right?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"I've been really ill lately, Professor."

"You may leave to go to the hospital wing, if you like."

"Thanks."

Hermione had no desire to stay in a class that she was so obviously not prepared for. As she gathered her things to leave, Harry shot her an uneasy look. She forced herself to give him her best smile.

"I'll be fine," she whispered. "I'm just going back to Gryffindor Tower."

Unfortunately, once Hermione was in the corridor walking in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, her stomach had other ideas. It seemed that no matter how much she wished otherwise, she was going to be unable to hold down Snape's potion.

She hurried to the nearest toilette. She spent the next fifteen minutes vomiting. Once her stomach was finally settled she broke down in tears. She couldn't help it. Her one hope of getting relief was just flushed down the toilette. Literally.

Trembling and very afraid, more afraid than she'd ever been, Hermione washed her mouth out and looked at her reflection. She could leave Hogwarts, but what good would that really do? She doubted that distance from Lucius would do anything to alleviate the effects of his spell. She could be in Antarctica and she'd still feel as bad as she did now.

Hermione splashed some water on her face and leaned against the sink. She looked terrible. People really were going to start wondering about her. Maybe she'd try to get some more sleep, not that she thought there was even the smallest chance of her actually sleeping while in her current mental state.

Hermione picked up her bag and ventured back into the corridor. As soon as she turned down the corridor, she immediately regretted her decision. Lucius Malfoy in all his wealth and splendor stood handsomely against the wall. He was much too close for her to attempt to draw her wand. If she tried she had no doubt he would break her wrist. Now if she'd been holding her wand on her way out of the Girl's Toilette, that might have been a different story. She hadn't imagined him to be waiting for her. He smiled slowly and closed the small amount of space between them. Hermione took several steps backward in agonizing horror, knowing that the action was futile but not being able to do anything else.

Her heart was slamming in her chest and as he stepped forward she knew she couldn't escape. Why couldn't there be someone in the corridor?

"Hullo, Hermione," Lucius said smoothly, laying his right hand firmly on her shoulder. "Let's take a walk, shall we?"

He spun her around and pushed her down the hall and into an empty classroom. Lucius summarily closed and locked the door with a flick of his wand. Hermione didn't even try to put distance between herself and Lucius. There really was no point. She had no grand delusions that she could somehow draw her wand and curse him before he could overpower her. Besides, a part of her, one that she really didn't want to admit to, didn't want to escape from him.

Lucius relieved Hermione of her bag with her wand and set it far enough away that she couldn't easily get her hands on it. Hermione leaned against a wall and met Lucius's coldly beautiful gaze.

Gods, but he was an extremely attractive man. She tried to force herself to see past the beauty of his body, but it was nearly impossible not to think about how aristocratically handsome he was. He mesmerized her, and though a part of her was still rational enough to know that it was mostly because of the curse, it didn't change the fact that part of her attraction to him had absolutely nothing to do with the spell he placed on her. And that was something they both knew.

Lucius approached her, giving her a questioning look.

"I do believe you've been avoiding me," he told her, stopping less than a foot away.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I have a tendency to avoid people who curse me with Dark Magic."

Hermione's mouth was dry and her voice wasn't nearly as strong as she would have liked. She flinched violently when Lucius ran the back of his hand down her cheek. Lucius laughed softly. The sound did really bad things to the lower part of Hermione's stomach. Heat suffused her body and it was all Hermione could do not to lean into Lucius's touch. Her body wanted to so badly, but her mind still rebelled enough to keep herself from submitting to him fully. Lucius sensed her defiance. He took his hand away and locked gazes with Hermione. The look in his eyes wasn't one that any woman wanted to ever see on a man's face. For a few seconds, Hermione truly thought he was going to backhand her and she braced herself for the blow.

"How long has it been? Nearly four days? I daresay most women would have opened their legs for me by now."

"Well, I'm not like most women, Mr. Malfoy."

Lucius snorted.

"Evidently not. Are you quite sure you like men?"

Hermione stared at him, vulnerable and afraid. She would have liked not to let him see her fear, but it was impossible for her to hide it in her current situation.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

Lucius smiled. It was not a nice smile.

"That's for me to know and you to wonder."

"Go to Hell."

"You certainly have that Gryffindor spirit don't you? If nothing else, I'm sure that will make fucking you all the more exciting."

"You mean raping me?"

Lucius gave her a pointed look.

"It wouldn't exactly be rape, would it, Hermione?"

"Sorry to disagree with you, but in my opinion it really would."

Lucius's lips quirked up in a sinful and totally sexual half-smile.

"You know I was under the impression that for intercourse to be rape it had to be non-consensual. You would want it and you would enjoy it."

Lucius touched Hermione's left hip, trailing his fingers up and down while watching her reaction intently. To her credit, she made no sound, though every muscle in her body was taut with restrained desire.

"Submit to me now," Lucius breathed in her ear, he gave the edge of her ear a little nip with his teeth to emphasize his demand. Hermione amazed herself at being able to find the strength to refuse him.

"Not. Yet. Malfoy."

"No? How about now?"

Lucius changed the position of his hand so that it now trailed along the inside of her thigh. Her body shuddered involuntarily at his touch. Still, she gave no encouraging response.

"You're beginning to try my patience."

Hermione stiffened even more, her body trembling, as Lucius's hand found the spot where her leg met her body. He pinched the soft skin of the highest part of her inner thigh and then intimately cupped his palm around the wet heat between her legs. Hermione wondered what the use of resisting him now really was.

"I can give you either mind blowing pleasure or the most exquisite pain. You get to decide."

Hermione closed her eyes, wondering if she could remain sane while he played his hand over the most intimate part of her body. Her body screamed for orgasmic release and her mind held onto its resistance by only the thinnest of threads.

"Do you have idea how close you are to coming for me?" Lucius asked her softly.

Yeah, she thought she had an idea.

"I won't get pleasure from you."

"Your willpower impresses me," he told her, withdrawing his hand. "But we both know it's not nearly as strong as you're letting on. I should make you orgasm just to prove my point. But if I leave you now, without showing you just how wanton I can make you, I guarantee you'll be begging me to take you by the end of the week. For some reason I honestly can't fathom, you're not ready to fully submit to me."

Hermione stared at him with open hatred. Lucius merely smiled.

"It won't be long before I see you again," he said.

"Get away from me," she told him. Her voice was shaking as much as her body.

Lucius seized her shoulder.

"Remember what I told you, Hermione. The longer I have to wait, the more impatient I become. You don't want to cross me. You won't like the consequences."

And with that he turned and left.

Hermione waited in the empty classroom for over ten minutes before mustering up the courage to get back to Gryffindor Tower.

How had Lucius known where she was? She could only assume he knew where she was because of the curse. It was obviously an effect she hadn't known about. What scared her the most though was that if Lucius could somehow sense where she was, did he know that she'd gone to see Professor Snape?

If he did, it was dangerous information for him to have. If he knew she'd talked to Severus, he'd know the truth about his loyalty.

She had to go see her Potions Professor again. He didn't want to see her, but she was willing to bet he might change his mind when she delivered her warning. What would happen if Lucius did know, she didn't want to think about.

Instead of going to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione headed towards the Potions classroom. Classes would be ending in about ten minutes. Hermione only hoped that she would have time to explain herself before the next class started.

A/N: Another chapter in about a week.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: An Impossible Situation

Students were already beginning to assemble outside of the potions classroom. Hermione attempted to swallow down the solid feeling of dread that had built in her throat. What was she going to do if she couldn't talk to her potions professor? Truthfully speaking, she wasn't even sure if he would hear what she said. And she really didn't relish the idea of trying to _make_ him listen. As if anyone could _make_ Severus Snape do anything.

A part of her wanted to avoid Snape at all costs, especially after he'd made it so utterly clear that he wasn't willing to involve himself with her sexually. Unfortunately for her it was painfully obvious that her brief encounter with Lucius had only increased her body's extreme craving for sexual release. The pain, stemming from the most intimate part of her body, was now coming in sharp agonizing bursts whereas before it had been a constant severe throbbing. It was so much worse now, Hermione didn't want to think how she was going to live with it. The increased pain had started a minute or two after Lucius had left her. Hermione had the strong suspicion that wherever he was at the moment, Lucius Malfoy was laughing.

This new pain was far, far worse than anything she'd previously experienced. It brought involuntary tears to her eyes and her breathing wasn't as steady as she would have liked. Hell, even _walking_ was painful.

Somehow, mostly out of sheer necessity, she'd made it to Snape's office. She hesitated briefly outside the door. She had no doubt that this was going to be one of the worst experiences of her life. Being close to Severus Snape while in her current state was going to be exquisite torture. A small, still hopeful part of her wondered if she could perhaps make him change his mind about her. Of course, she was still rational enough to realize that telling him of Lucius's uncanny ability to know where she was would only want to make him distance himself from her more. And the rational part of her understood why he could not help her. It would seriously jeopardize his position as spy to The Order if he had a physical relationship with her while under the keen and watchful eyes of Lucius Malfoy.

While the rational part of Hermione's mind knew that this made sense, the non-rational part, the part that was now ruling her thoughts with reckless abandon didn't care. _That _scared as much as anything else she was currently dealing with.

She was about to walk into the office, but thought better of it and rapped on the door sharply. It would be best not to do anything to anger Snape. He might be more receptive to her if she kept a respectful attitude with him. Though of course, he probably wasn't going to be pleased to see her like this no matter how she behaved. There was a chance he'd turn her away without listening to her. After all, she was going against what he'd said by coming to him. He'd probably tell her that she was only making matters worse. But honestly, what else could she do? It was an impossible situation.

Presently, the door opened and Hermione looked up into the unreadable features of her potions professor.

"Please, let me speak to you," she told him in an imploring tone.

Hermione noticed the way Snape set his jaw as he looked at her. He certainly wasn't happy. Wordlessly he held the door open so she could enter his office and shut it immediately behind her.

"I take it the potion didn't work for you."

"No, sir, it didn't. It made me ill, but that's not why I'm here."

"Miss Granger, you _are _aware that I'm about to teach a class, are you not?"

"I am, sir, but there's something I must tell you that couldn't wait. I was sick from the potion and when I was about to return to Gryffindor Tower, Lucius was waiting for me in the hallway."

Snape's expression changed, his eyes darkening with violent emotion. Hermione took a step back, uneasy at the look on her professor's face.

"You didn't"—

"I didn't let him violate me. But he did his damnedest to get me to change my mind. I'm afraid it's only made my desire for intercourse more unbearable. But I'm sure you don't care about that. I came to you because I'm afraid that he knows I've been in contact with you. If he truly has some sort of tracking spell on me, he'll know I've talked to you as Severus Snape, member of The Order of the Phoenix, not just my Potions Professor. What if he knows what we've said? Or what we're saying now?"

Snape looked at her.

"What the hell were you doing walking alone in Diagon Alley?" he asked her.

Hermione gave him a strange look.

"If you wouldn't have been so stupid we wouldn't be in this predicament."

Hermione stared at him. "You think this is my fault? I get the feeling that Lucius would have been more than capable of casting this spell on me even if I were with a group of people. He had a spell that turned him invisible."

Snape sighed forcefully.

"Did I _say_ this was your fault?"

"You didn't need to, you heavily implied it."

Hermione swallowed back an exclamation of pain. Being in the same room as Severus Snape was definitely not helping her. It appeared that his presence was only making her pain worse.

She looked at him, a sheer look of misery in her eyes. His expression was as unreadable as ever and she could only imagine what he was thinking. If she had to guess she would have said that some part of him did actually care about her suffering. After all, the man did possess a heart and soul somewhere behind the reinforced barriers he had surrounding them. She'd seen evidence of that when they'd walked through the London Zoo.

But the problem was that it didn't matter. Even if he did care, he was a far cry away from doing anything to relieve her suffering. Of course, given the gravity of the situation, she supposed she really couldn't blame him. It was unfair for her to ask him to risk everything he worked for just so he could give her what she wanted.

But oh gods, just looking at him now was beyond torturous. Brutal pain assaulted her tender core and she imagined she now knew what electrical shocks to the vagina must feel like. She gritted her teeth against the pain but all she could think about was the man in front of her covering her with his body and rutting with her across his desk until her throat grew hoarse from loudly moaning in pleasure.

Another stab of pain assaulted her and a short cry of pain escaped her lips. Snape remained unfazed by her agony. She wasn't surprised. In his service to the Death Eaters how many times had he seen people experience blinding pain? Hermione let out a shuddering breath.

"I can't live like this," she said in a strained, barely audible voice. Tears began to trail down her cheeks.

Severus studied her seriously, and Hermione feared what he would say.

"And you won't have to," Snape told her softly.

Hermione's expression sharpened.

"What?"

"If what you say is true and Lucius _does _have knowledge of your communication with me, he'll expect me to prove my loyalty to the Dark Lord by gaining your trust and betraying you. I suspect this attack on you truly is a ploy to make me prove I'm not a double agent for Dumbledore. I haven't had a private meeting with Lucius in a long time. I think it's time for me to talk to him," Severus said. The look of steel in his eyes made Hermione flinch. "He wants to see Severus Snape the conniving and cruel son of a bitch return to the fold, and that's exactly what he'll get. If he takes the bait, he'll never touch you again."

Hermione looked at him uneasily.

"I don't understand. How can you pretend to turn against the Order without actually doing so?"

The look her potions professor returned to her chilled her to the bone.

"You needn't worry about The Order, Miss Granger."

"So you're going to make Lucius lift the curse?" Hermione asked him.

Snape leveled a look at her.

"No. If I showed a desire to make him lift the curse it would only make him realise I was lying to him."

Hermione regarded him in temporary disbelief, realization quickly dawning on her.

"So instead you'll lay sexual claim to me."

"Indeed."

"And if Lucius refuses to let you have me?"

"He won't refuse."

Hermione knew better than to try to press for more information. It was more than obvious by Snape's tone and body language that he'd already told her all she needed to know and he wasn't going to tell her any more. She supposed she really didn't have to know, and told herself she really didn't want to know.

It was quite an unexpected shock to hear that Snape was now willing to cross the line he'd drawn between them. It was ironic to think that Lucius had enabled her to get satisfaction from the one man she truly desired. Though the change in circumstances with Snape having to put on such a dangerous ruse wasn't exactly something that Hermione relished. She was still very much afraid. But now a different fear was added to her personal list.

Could Severus Snape pull off fooling Lucius Malfoy? If he slipped even the slightest of fractions she didn't want to think what would happen to him, or to her. And how would he avoid suspicion within The Order?

She hoped he knew what he was doing. She had a sickening feeling that both their lives depended upon it.

The clock on the wall began to chime softly. Snape's waiting class had to start.

Snape cursed softly.

He went behind his desk and unlocked a drawer, withdrawing a small phial of clear liquid.

"I can't estimate accurately when I'll be able to return to you. Considering your current physical state I intend it to be sometime before tomorrow morning. This is a potion to make anyone untrained in Legilimency be able to hear and respond to a mental summons from a Legilimens. I'll let you know where to find me."

"Is it safe?" Hermione couldn't help asking.

Snape sighed forcefully.

"Would I give it to you if it wasn't? I'm late for my class, please drink the damn potion."

Snape held it out to her in the palm of his hand. Hermione snatched it from him rather quickly, not wanting to prolong the increased discomfort brought on by getting closer to him. She carefully picked it up without actually brushing her fingertips against his skin.

Hermione opened the phial and quickly downed the liquid inside it. She dropped the empty phial back into Snape's palm. Snape rid himself of the phial and opened the door for Hermione. She couldn't bring herself to meet her professor's gaze.

_Can you hear my voice in your mind?_

Hermione started a little at the sudden unspoken question.

_Just think what you want to say._

Still not looking at him, she walked out of his office.

_Yes._

_I suggest you return to Gryffindor Tower and stay there for the rest of the day. I'll have the elves send you some food._

Hermione wasn't hungry at all, but she wasn't going to try to argue with him. She left the dungeons and did as Severus told her.

When the elves did bring food, it wasn't any usual Hogwarts fare. There was smoked salmon and Brie and the dessert tray had mini pieces of four different kinds of cake. Ironically the food was all of Hermione's favorite things and she had the sneaking suspicion that Snape had somehow looked into her mind without her realizing it.

That alone was a sobering thought. But she found that she was willing to trust him. After all, she didn't have much choice.

A/N: next chapter, Snape meets Lucius! It should be some serious drama! I'm done with college so I'll try to post again in less than a week.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: A Deal with the Devil

That afternoon, Hermione started having serious doubts about initiating a physical relationship with her professor despite everything Lucius's curse was doing to her body. She'd been lying on her back on top of her perfectly made bed trying to will herself into a state of calm, nearly meditative relaxation. Unfortunately, she'd failed in that endeavor miserably. It wasn't just her physical pain that was constantly on her mind. Now her thoughts were plagued of unsettling images of Snape's impending encounter with Lucius Malfoy, and perhaps it was due to the intensity of her own pain, but her mind could not help conjuring pictures of Lucius seeing right through Snape's façade and torturing him until he agreed to truly betray her. She did not doubt that Lucius would hurt Snape if he sensed even a little bit of the humanity in his soul. Gods if that happened, . . . Not that she didn't think her potions professor was a match for the Death Eater. If anyone could take on Lucius Malfoy and come out on top she'd certainly put her money on Severus. But still, Lucius was extremely dangerous and Snape certainly wasn't infallible.

There were so many things that could go wrong. Worrying about what would happen didn't help, but she really couldn't make herself think about anything else. If Lucius decided he didn't like the look on Snape's face or didn't think Snape reached his expectations for proving that he was only loyal to Voldemort, . . .

The worst possibility was that Lucius would meet Snape and decide to torture him anyway just to "make sure" that Snape wouldn't double cross him. Hermione knew it was exactly Lucius's style to err on the side of caution and bank on the fact that Snape _was_ still working against Voldemort and figure even if Snape had fully intended to help her at the beginning of their meeting he wouldn't dream of doing anything but what Lucius ordered after their meeting had come to a conclusion. How could she truly trust him when he returned from Lucius? She wished there was some way she could know for sure that he was sincere in his intentions not to harm her.

Hermione knew Snape was a very powerful wizard. But then, so was Lucius Malfoy. Hermione seriously feared that Snape would fail to outsmart or outmaneuver him because unlike Lucius, Snape had a soul that wasn't entirely corrupted by evil. Snape may not be able to truly think like Lucius. Considering the depth of Lucius's sadistic nature, a part of Hermione hoped that Snape couldn't think like him. She could only hope that Snape was strong enough to deflect any suspicion that Lucius directed towards him.

She was beginning to think her life depended on it. Her pain and overwhelming physical desire were beginning to wear her sanity thin. She knew with utter certainty that if she went on like this for much longer she would crack and do something crazy, like climb on top of a naked Lucius Malfoy.

Her desire for him scared her more than anything else she was currently dealing with. It definitely wasn't all because of the curse. No, she was positive now that the curse could only work as well as it did because it made what was already there much stronger. She wondered what it said about her that she carnally desired a man who was over twice her age and who in all likelihood was irredeemably evil.

Hermione let out a shaky exhalation. She thought of the first time she'd seen Lucius Malfoy and truly saw him for the sinfully sexual creature he was. It'd been at the Quidditch World Cup when something had made her meet his gaze fleetingly. It'd lasted only a fraction of second but ever since then she saw him in a very different way. After she'd had her first kiss, she'd had a series of very explicit dreams about him. She'd never forgotten them, but she'd always discounted them as ordinary dreams. After all, sometimes people dreamed about really weird shit. It didn't _mean_ anything. She'd also had dreams about her potions professor, but those never bothered her when she thought about them after she woke up as much as the dreams about Lucius. It stood to reason. Lucius was an evil son of a bitch with a soul as black as Severus Snape's raven colored hair.

Her hands tightened on the coverlet as she fought down the urge to let out a tortured shriek. She hadn't put any silencing spells up in the room, she doubted her ability to even cast something as simple as a Lumos charm right now, and she didn't want anyone who might be in the Common Room to get alarmed. She wasn't sure she could come up with any plausible lies right now for her condition. She definitely didn't want to be forced to try.

She pulled a pillow over her face and let out a muffled whimper.

Something had to give . . . _soon._

Severus Snape was usually a confident man. He had to be if he wanted to continue breathing. And he _was _confident now, at least regarding the fact that Lucius's primary motive was to expose him as a traitor to the Dark Lord. Given all the factors of the situation, it was the only thing that made sense. He wondered if Voldemort had put Lucius up to it, and though it really didn't matter in the grand scheme of things Severus was willing to bet that Lucius was doing this all on his own. Taking the initiative was something Lucius would do. And as he and Lucius were vying for Voldemort's highest favor, to prove once and for all that he was a spy for the Order of the Phoenix would only make Lucius Voldemort's new favorite person.

Not for the first time, Snape wondered if Lucius's ultimate goal was to establish himself in his own seat of power. Snape knew Lucius hated Voldemort, though for vastly different reasons than himself. Lucius thought Voldemort to be a power hungry fool who possessed hardly any tact and no finesse to speak of. Lucius's contempt for Voldemort was intense enough that Severus was willing to bet any Legilimens could feel if they physically touched Lucius long enough to see into his mind. If only Severus could make Voldemort lay a hand on Lucius's shoulder when he didn't expect it. Lucius was quite adept at masking his true feelings whenever he was in Voldemort's presence.

Lucius knew that Severus knew how he felt about Voldemort. It was probably the one thing that had stopped Lucius from convincing Voldemort to dig through Severus's mind until he discovered the truth about his loyalty. If Lucius tried to destroy Severus, Lucius would go down right along with him. It would be mutually assured destruction. And it worked both ways. If Severus went to Voldemort now and told him of Lucius's seditious thoughts, he knew Voldemort would investigate the information and once he forced the truth from Lucius's mind he wouldn't allow Lucius to live much longer. But if Lucius could convince Voldemort to be suspicious of him, Severus wouldn't live much longer than Lucius.

It seemed that Lucius thought he'd found a way to get rid of him at last. If Lucius could force him to expose the truth of his loyalty through his own actions, there would be glaring proof of Severus's deception right before Voldemort's eyes. Then, even if he were to say that Lucius wasn't truly loyal, Voldemort would disregard the accusations as being the product of a man who was about to be tortured to death and was grasping at anything he could in order to keep his life. And perhaps Lucius had strengthened his resistance to mental intrusion and was no longer afraid of Voldemort looking through his mind. There were ancient dark magics, hardly practiced anymore for the complexity and verbosity of their spells that could make a wizard invincible to all kinds of magical attacks for a short time before the spell had to be recast. They were usually an impractical defense unless you could be absolutely certain when someone would throw a curse at you. Maybe Lucius had mastered a spell or two of this nature for the purpose of resisting Voldemort's mental intrusion.

In any case, Lucius now had to believe that he had the upper hand. And Severus had to recognize that was true, at least for the time being. For now, caution would serve him well.

Lucius had been given an incredibly luxurious suite of rooms at Hogwarts. The man had a way of getting whatever he wanted. Dumbledore had confided to Severus that he saw no reason to blatantly oppose Lucius and muttered something about keeping friends close but enemies closer. That apparently included setting them in expensively furnished quarters with three times as much space as any other Hogwarts residence except for that of the headmaster.

Severus knocked solidly on the smooth dark wooden door an hour after classes had ended for the day. After a brief moment, the door opened to reveal Lucius Malfoy in all of his haughty arrogance. His grey-eyed gaze was scrutinizing and told Severus nothing of what he might truly be thinking. Lucius was dressed down, wearing only perfectly tailored trousers and a white silk shirt, open at the chest.

"Severus," said Lucius, his tone not unpleased.

"Lucius," said Severus. "I think you are aware that you and I need to talk."

Lucius considered Severus briefly and then stepped back from the doorframe to admit him into the room. As soon as Severus crossed the threshold the door was swiftly shut behind him. Lucius then shot a powerful warding spell that traveled the entire perimeter of the doorframe in ice blue light.

When Lucius was finished with the spell, Severus met his gaze coldly.

"I'm not your enemy. I think you should stop treating me as if I were."

"Oh, is that what this is about? I see no reason why I should extend any degree of trust to you. You've been playing double-agent for a long time. Who knows what the Order of the Phoenix has done to you?"

"Do consider. If I pledged any true loyalty to The Order of the Phoenix, any loyalty at all, you would have already been eliminated as a threat. You know that being a master Legilimens I can guarantee your guilt beyond any deniability. You are a major enemy to them, Lucius. If I were truly with them I would have sent you to prison long before now."

"Or perhaps you merely refrained from locking me up in some deep dark cell just to make it look like you were what you claim to the Dark Lord."

Severus gave Lucius a piercing look.

"You seriously believe that, don't you?"

Lucius only smiled cruelly.

"I'm only being reasonable. After all, what have you done in the past three years since Voldemort's return to prove that you weren't on Dumbledore's side?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at that.

"I've done you. All things considered, I'd say that counts, wouldn't you?"

A smirk appeared on Lucius's face.

"There is that. Can you name something else?"

"I know you're not truly loyal to Voldemort and yet I've not exposed your thoughts to him."

"Perhaps only because you know that if I accused you of disloyalty in turn, Voldemort would find out you side against him as well."

"I haven't interfered with your little pet project regarding that Mudblood bitch."

"No, I suppose you haven't. So she went to you, did she?"

"What can I say? She thinks I work for Dumbledore. She wanted me to give her a potion to stop her physical arousal."

Lucius laughed heartily at Severus's statement.

"I take it you didn't give her any potion that would help her?"

"I only gave her a mild one that wasn't nearly strong enough to have any beneficial effect. There's a potion to counter almost every spell, it wouldn't have been hard to brew one that would get rid of her physical need entirely, especially since I knew you were the one who put the spell on her. I have a good understanding of what kind of strength your spells have, but you must already know that."

Severus wasn't lying about being able to counter the curse with a spell. He hadn't even mentioned anything to Hermione because if he did give her a potion to truly counter the curse Lucius would surely sense the extremely sudden change in Hermione's demeanor and conclude correctly that Severus was the only man capable of brewing such a potion. If he'd done that, Lucius would have stopped at nothing to see Severus dead. The truth of his loyalty would have been undeniable. Severus didn't doubt that it was all part of the test Lucius was giving him to make him prove exactly where he stood once and for all.

"Did you fuck her?" Lucius asked.

Severus gave Lucius a level look. "No. She's still craving intercourse like a bitch in heat at the moment, unless she's decided to let Potter service her. If you want to make her your personal whore that's your business. But if you want to use her to for a greater purpose, like bringing the Order of the Phoenix to its knees, you may want to consider letting me help you. Hermione Granger clearly trusts me. Let me strengthen that trust so that she'll become emotionally attached to me and then I'll betray her. I'll guarantee I can get her to do anything I want. If you want her to turn traitor to her friends, I'll see that its done in a way no one will suspect her of any changes in loyalty."

Lucius snorted.

"And just how can you guarantee the success of your plan?"

"During the next several weeks to months I'll make her believe I've developed true affection for her. I'll coax her into binding her soul to mine. Then after I betray her and she realizes that fighting is futile she'll have no choice but to give in to my demands."

"And while your doing this I'll just relinquish my power over her so that you can take the reins, is that it?"

"After I have her at my mercy, you're free to use her as you like."

"Do you desire her?"

"It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to take a woman's innocence. And the girl's certainly not bad looking by any means. To answer your question directly, yes, I do desire her now. But if you don't want me to concern myself with her, you have only to say so."

Lucius looked at Severus for several long seconds. There was surprise on his features.

"Now Severus, this is all well and good if you truly mean what you say. But I'm just not sure I should trust you."

"That's your prerogative, Lucius. If that's how you feel, I'll just see myself out."

Severus turned and took a step or two towards the door.

"No, don't go," Lucius told him. Severus turned around and folded his arms across his chest, waiting for Lucius to continue.

"Your behavior doesn't strike me as being in any way indicative that you are working in Hermione Granger's best interest."

Severus made a face.

"Let me tell you something. If I was going to change sides and have a monogamous relationship with a woman, I would chose someone with a little more . . . _experience _without any Gryffindor sensibilities."

Lucius let an amused half laugh. "You really were about to leave, weren't you? And let me do whatever I please with her."

"Are you really that surprised?"

"I'll admit I wasn't expecting it. What I want to know is how are you going to pull off gaining her trust? If you're intimate with her, you know she might sense the darkness in your soul. Some people can touch their partners soul during intercourse."

"Yes, Lucius, I know that."

"With her being as powerful as she is and perceptive to the subtle nuances of magical power, I'd say there's a good likelihood that she'll pick up on your deception during your climax."

"No she won't."

Lucius raised an eyebrow.

"I gave her a potion that I said would allow her to communicate with me telepathically as she was untrained in Legilimency. It did that, but I combined it with a potion that would subdue her ability to feel the lack of humanity in my soul."

That wasn't a lie. Severus had changed the potion so that Hermione would detect no impurities if she sensed his soul during intercourse. Of course, he hadn't told Hermione that.

"Clever."

"Yes, quite."

"You'll still have to keep up the act of helping to save her from me when with her."

"It'll be worth it in the end."

"There's really no chance of you actually becoming attached to her?"

Severus rolled his eyes at Lucius's question.

"None. I see her as just another cunt to fuck. Nothing more."

Lucius's expression changed. Clearly, he was impressed by Severus's words. He didn't say anything for several seconds.

"I hope for your sake you're not lying to me, Severus," Lucius said in a soft and dangerous voice. "If I find out you've been playing me, I will kill you. If you actually try to help the girl, I will kill you."

"Good. If that were to happen, I hope you do kill me because it would mean I completely lost my mind and I wouldn't want to live if I was that fucked up."

"I suppose you've convinced me to give you a chance to prove yourself to me then."

"The opportunity for me to seriously hurt the Order of the Phoenix has never favourably presented itself, Lucius. Until now. Surely you can't condemn me for being unable to do what was impossible. Why do you think Voldemort let me into his inner circle?"

Lucius didn't immediately respond.

"Are you asking me to apologise?"

"No. Though I think you assumed too much without giving me a chance to show you my true colours."

"Fair enough," Lucius muttered quickly.

Severus approached Lucius.

"I promise you won't regret this."

Severus then brought his lips to Lucius's and kissed him deeply. Lucius met the display of passion with equal intensity. He stroked Severus's tongue with his own and brought his hands to the top buttons of Severus's coat. Severus only intensified the kiss, punctuating each movement of his lips with a sharp nip on Lucius's mouth.

Lucius had nearly unbuttoned his coat when there was a tentative yet definite sound of knocking on Lucius's door. Both men stilled and Severus drew away from Lucius's lips.

"Ignore it and maybe they'll go away," Lucius whispered to him.

The sound came again, this time louder. Lucius let out a frustrated sigh. He left Severus to fix his coat and went to answer the door. Severus hung back while Lucius partially opened the door. Draco stood in the hallway and asked if he could come in. Lucius stood so Draco couldn't see Severus.

Severus thought that Lucius would dismiss his son, but Lucius glanced in Severus's direction, his look asking if Draco could be let in. Severus supposed Lucius didn't care if Draco was perceptive enough to realize what his father had been doing with his potions master. Severus didn't particularly care what Draco saw. He knew the boy was loyal to his father above all else. Severus acknowledged the unspoken question with a small nod and Lucius let Draco step into his room.

Draco looked a little unsure of himself and Severus wondered what the matter was. He wasn't going to stick around to find out.

He said hello to Draco and excused himself from the Malfoys' presence.

Severus went back to his rooms and took a long shower. He had a lot to think about. In just an hour or two he would talk to Hermione. He hoped she wouldn't ask questions. He wouldn't be able to provide answers, at least not truthful ones.

For in order for this mess to resolve in his and Hermione's favor, he was going to eventually have to make her believe that he truly had betrayed her.

It wasn't something he was looking forward to doing. In fact, it would be the cruelest thing he had ever done.

Hermione would be caught entirely by surprise. And she would hate him. Though if it ended up saving her life, perhaps she'd understand.

But he wouldn't have to deal with that for some time. For now, he'd put it at the back of his mind.

A/N: Another chapter soon.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Decisions

_Hermione? I've finished speaking with Lucius._

Hermione started at the sound of Snape's voice in her mind. It was early evening and Hermione had barely been able to eat anything. She'd been curled up in bed while everyone else was at dinner and now she was hiding from her peers while they socialized in the common room.

_What did he say?_ she thought with much anxiety in her tone.

_I managed to persuade him to see me as an ally._

Hermione tensed. Just what exactly had it taken for Severus to convince Lucius that was true? Was Snape even telling her the truth?

_Can I see you now? _she asked. _I'll come to your office._

_Yes. Be discreet and make sure no one follows you._

_I'm in so much pain, Professor. I can barely think past it._

_I know. There's just no direct way for you to get to me. If the Common Room was empty I could set up a floo connection, but I'm sure there are students in it now._

_Unfortunately for me, there are. I'm leaving now, but I can't say how long it will take me to walk to you. Every step for me is torture._

Severus didn't respond to her last comment. There wasn't anything he could say to make it better for her. In truth he wasn't even sure if having sex with her would soothe her physical need dramatically enough to make a significant difference.

Hermione made herself walk through the Common Room with minimal signs of discomfort. She didn't try to look for Harry. She remembered him saying something about having Quidditch Practice. Undoubtedly if he had been there, he would have tried to stop her from leaving. Certainly in her present condition, he was faster than she was and if he wanted to catch her he could. She thanked all the Powers That Be that Harry was the captain of the Quidditch team. She really didn't want to talk to him now.

_Damn Lucius Malfoy to the hottest depths of the lowest region of hell!_

Too bad looks couldn't kill, Hermione thought to herself. She would gladly aim a gaze of pure poison at the man who had done this to her. He had to pay. One way or another. Hermione preferred it to involve extreme amounts of agonizing pain and castration.

But as she forced herself to walk towards the dungeons, a traitorous voice in her head told her she'd rather be Lucius Malfoy's sex slave than see him reduced to such a state. If she hadn't been in so much pain, she would have laughed hysterically. Could it be she was finally going insane?

_Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her school, now nymphomaniac for the taking to all Death Eaters who strike her fancy._

Hermione leaned against a wall for a few seconds. If Lucius Malfoy found her now she wouldn't be escaping him with her virginity intact, that much she knew.

_Perhaps I should just stand here and wait for him like a cheap street whore. Going to Professor Snape will only complicate things and possibly put me in even greater danger._

Hermione tensed and shook her head as if to clear it, forcing herself to snap out of her thoughts. She was trembling involuntarily and swallowed down the sharp spasm of fear that was building in her throat.

Staying close to the wall, Hermione slowly made her way towards the staircase that lead to the dungeons. She looked at the steps, reluctant to descend them. If only she knew for sure that she was making the right decision. It was a hell of time to be changing her mind, she knew, but she refused to relinquish rational thought while considering the pros and cons of her choice to see Snape. Her body made it physically and painfully clear what she should do. Yet her mind was still uncertain, even now. More so, after knowing that Snape had seen Lucius Malfoy. She looked behind her and she was just as reluctant to turn back.

She let out a shaky breath.

_Severus or Lucius._

The choice should have been simple. Severus Snape was a member of the Order of the Phoenix, loyal to Dumbledore and everything he stood for.

At least, that is what he claimed. Certainly he had given her no reason to doubt him. And yet, . . . what if he truly was a Death Eater? Hermione thought about all the times she had defended her potions professor to Harry and Ron when they had accused him of being evil. Everyone seemed to trust him in the Order. She _wanted _to trust him. But she couldn't quite get past the fact that she couldn't be certain of his loyalty. If she was going to be intimate with the man, she wanted to be sure of his intentions.

Damn sure.

Unfortunately, she couldn't think of any way for her to be certain that he told the truth.

At least with Lucius Malfoy, she knew for sure what he was. And if she went to him, there would be no worries about trust. Her trust with him would be nonexistent with no pretenses of it being otherwise.

And if she went to Lucius, perhaps she could find out why he was doing this to her.

But if she went to Lucius, she would be giving him what he wanted. After all the torture he'd put her through, that was the last thing she wanted to do.

If she wasn't going to Lucius, Severus was her only substitute.

Slowly she made her way down the steps. She hated being alone in this part of the castle. It didn't help matters that she wasn't exactly calm. Her heart beat quicker as she approached Snape's office.

_It's not too late to change your mind, Hermione_, a voice in the back of her mind said. _You know Lucius will satisfy you better than Severus Snape. You're fooling yourself if you think you can get away with denying your desire for him. Don't waste your time with Severus. He won't help you. He can't. He's not Lucius Malfoy._

Hermione swallowed hard, ignoring the nearly overpowering urge to leave the dungeons and seek out the blonde Death Eater.

Severus Snape had to be a better choice than giving in to Lucius Malfoy.

Hermione didn't even knock on the door when she reached Snape's office. It was a superfluous gesture when he was expecting her.

Snape was sitting at his desk, disdainfully marking essays as she crossed the door's threshold and entered into the room. He raised his gaze to meet hers, and to her credit, Hermione held his gaze with every appearance of composed confidence. On the inside though, there was no pretending that she wasn't frightened.

And she was dangerously close to letting that fear escape into her expression.

Snape hadn't moved, hadn't even said a word. He dispassionately studied her behavior, undoubtedly drawing his own conclusions about what she was presently thinking.

The man was a master Legilimens. She would have liked to think that he wouldn't look into her mind without her knowing it, but as she watched him she knew she was looking at a man whose scruples were an extremely dark shade of gray.

Snape rose from his chair. The look he gave her as he did so chilled her to her soul. It was all she could do not to take a step back from him.

"Miss Granger," he said in a smooth tone. "Before you make any irrevocable decisions, hear this. I told you before that you could leave England and maybe escape Lucius's reach. I strongly suggest you reconsider that option before things proceed any further. There's a potion I have ready that will indefinitely suppress your magic. I've been keeping it for myself if ever I had to go to ground quickly and evade magical pursuit. Take it and leave England and Lucius will not be able to touch you. In suppressing your magic, the potion will destroy his curse's power over you. You won't be able to have any contact with the magical world, but you _are _Muggleborn, and it shouldn't be an insurmountable hardship. If things go well you can always return later and take the potion's antidote."

Hermione stared at him, taken aback.

"And where would I go? How would I support myself?"

"Go anywhere you like. Anywhere but here. And your monetary needs will be seen to by the Order of the Phoenix. You'll have enough money in an untraceable bank account that will let you live in comfort for several years if necessary."

"And my family? Do you expect them to be happy about me dropping off the face of the earth?"

"If doing this saves your life I'm sure they will understand."

"You're asking me to live without magic? Without any contact with anyone I know? To give up everything I know?"

"Yes. I can tell you that things didn't go particularly well with Lucius Malfoy. He's far too interested in you. Before you say anything else, understand this, Miss Granger, if you choose to stay here I can't guarantee your safety."

"You can't guarantee my safety if I leave, either."

"No, but Lucius won't be a threat to you."

Hermione didn't immediately respond.

"You think I don't know the danger I'm in right now?"

Snape only looked at her, but his eyes told her that he really didn't think she understood the gravity of her situation. His gaze hardened.

"Staying here might kill you."

"So I should just run away?"

"Think about it. Your future doesn't exactly look bright."

"Are you trying to make me leave England?"

Snape's expression softened perhaps a fraction of a degree.

"No. I merely had to put the option to you. If things go badly, at least I gave you fair warning that there was a way out."

Hermione was silent for over a minute.

"I can't," she said, her voice no more than whisper. "My magic's too much a part of me to live without it. I'd rather die than give it up."

"Spoken like a true Gryffindor."

Hermione stiffened at the remark.

"Quite frankly I'm surprised that you wish to send me abroad to adamantly. If you were someone else I would say it was because you don't want to see me hurt. While I suppose that might be a small part of your rationale I think it's really because you don't want to involve yourself in my situation with Lucius."

Severus looked at her. _You have no idea._

"Miss Granger," Severus said softly. "No one is forcing me to be here with you. I haven't told anyone in the order about what Lucius did to you. If I wanted you to be someone else's problem, I'd tell you to get the fuck out of my office. As I haven't dismissed you, you can safely conclude that I'm willing to do what I can to keep Lucius Malfoy away from you."

"Or perhaps your suggestion for me to leave was a warning not to trust you," Hermione said in a barely audible voice.

"Considering your situation, you have no choice but to trust me. Unless you're going to actually change your mind and get out of the country."

Hermione took a step towards Snape.

"Not once have you mentioned the fact that you get to have sex with me as being a motivating factor in your decision. Certainly you haven't forgotten why I'm here now."

At her words, Snape's expression changed. The beginnings of a purely sexual smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. An intense shock of desire shot down Hermione's spine. The painful throbbing between her legs increased to a sharp stabbing pain. She kept most of her pain from showing on her face.

"No. I assure you, Miss Granger, I haven't forgotten."

"Then tell me this, was it a factor in making your decision?"

His smile turned into a smirk.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Hermione's breath caught in her throat. Liquid heat bloomed in her core. Snape watched her reaction.

"You're being cruel," she told him in a low voice.

"Am I?"

Hermione shivered as a wave of desire coursed through her entire body. Her pain skyrocketed to a vicious pounding and it nearly drove her to her knees. She let out an uneven breath.

Snape took a step forward.

"Would you rather I be kind?" he asked in a sensual murmur. He took another step towards her. He was now only a few feet away.

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes reflecting raw desire. It was a blatant invitation.

"I think I'll settle for a mix between the two."

Snape smiled. There was something sinfully predatory in the curve of his lips.

"As you wish."

And then the distance closed between them.

A/N: I'm sorry. I know I'm evil. But I want to make the next scene long and good so I'm giving it it's own chapter. I'll get it done as soon as I can, and I promise it will be worth the wait.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: You guys should all know what this chapter contains. If you have any objections to reading semi graphic sexual content please skip the chapter. Otherwise, enjoy!!

Chapter 12: Pain into Pleasure

Severus caught Hermione and in one smooth movement he picked her up, pivoted, and sat her down on the edge of his desk. His hands held her firmly just beneath her breasts and the feel of his touch even through the soft fabric of her nightdress was enough to make her nearly forget to breathe. He guided her into a heated kiss and Hermione surrendered her mouth to him, opening her mouth for his tongue. She let her head fall back and brought her hands to his neck.

Severus forced Hermione to open her lips wider as he expertly plunged his tongue into her mouth. This was a far more intimate kiss than Hermione had ever experienced and under normal circumstances she would have had serious reservations about being so wanton with someone she wasn't in a serious relationship with. But the circumstances were anything but normal. Hermione had no reservations. She'd finally silenced all thoughts of Lucius Malfoy. Any questions she had about the man she was currently kissing were drowned by the flood of raw desire coursing through her veins.

Her pain was so strong by this point that the beginnings of tears had begun to form in her eyes. She drank in Severus's kiss, matching the strokes of his tongue with an equal response of her own. She breathed his breath into her lungs and kicked off her shoes. Her knickers quickly joined them as Hermione removed a hand from the back of Severus's neck to pull them off her hips. Her breathing quickened as passion mounted and Severus moved his hand between her legs. Hermione suddenly jerked up and forward as he eased a finger between her flesh and brushed his fingertip against her swollen sex. The surge of pure physical ecstasy was so sudden and involuntary that Hermione bit Severus's mouth sharply in response. He made no sound against the sudden pain. She hadn't drawn blood, but certainly had left a mark.

Severus pressed both his middle and index fingers firmly against Hermione's hardened clit. Hermione covered his hand with hers and forced him to press much, much harder, hard enough to be brutal. It was then that Severus looked into her eyes, clearly asking if she was certain she'd rather him be less gentle.

The amount of pressure she was forcing him to give her was painful, but not in the way someone would generally think about pain. The new pain merged with that already within her body and melded into sinfully satisfying pleasure. For one horrible second Hermione thought Severus would refuse to use a rougher touch, but he must have seen something in her eyes because he began to hold the pressure on his own without her help.

Hermione jerked again against Severus's mouth and shuddered through her first orgasm. She broke their kiss and tightened her grip on his neck. Her body became taut and she clenched her muscles around Severus's fingers. Electrical pulses of pure pleasure sparked through her body and as the orgasm peaked she swore she could actually see spots of light before her eyes. As she came back down from her sexual high, Hermione took three slow breaths and looked into Severus's eyes.

He began to speak and Hermione put a hand over his lips to silence him.

"I need you to give me pleasure the way Lucius would. He would not be gentle."

Severus gave her a look that suggested she might want to rethink her request. He might have expected her to be uncertain, and if that were the case, he'd clearly underestimated how the curse had affected her. Her constant desire had made her brazen and she made that fact plain by dropping her right hand to cup Severus's erection through his trousers. Apparently, he hadn't thought she'd do that because his sudden wordless exclamation was definitely surprised. Surprised and very, very aroused. Hermione rubbed her thumb up and down his erection a few times before making short work of the buttons on his trousers. Interestingly, Hermione found that Severus wore nothing beneath his trousers and she wondered if that was common habit. Severus hissed with increased arousal as Hermione freed his erection and let her gaze fall between his legs. Her breath caught at the sight of him.

If the female students of Hogwarts only knew how good their potions professor looked naked, Severus would have to fight them off every day. Hermione's lips curved into an utterly alluring smile. It was more than Severus could stand. Making her orgasm had already made him hard and looking at the expression on her face now fueled his arousal further.

Hermione leaned back, pulling the front of his collar to bring him closer to her and spread her legs for him. He didn't need her to tell him what she wanted now. His hands moved to her sides and he angled her hips so that he could enter her.

She kissed him with hot reckless abandon and as he pleasured her with his tongue he suddenly thrust into her, hard and fast, breaking her hymen in one clean motion. He was now buried deep inside her and he stilled his body, letting her adjust to him. Hermione made a low sound of sound of pleasure and kissed him harder. Severus had caused her no pain. Perhaps the sharp pain of her arousal was enough to dull her senses to any discomfort caused by Severus's entrance into her body.

The feeling of Severus inside her nearly induced another orgasm and her body responded with a flood of liquid proof of her arousal. Her hands tightened on his neck and she hissed in pleasure. She tightened herself around Severus's cock and he made an inarticulate sound.

He kissed her aggressively in response and drew back his hips, nearly pulling out of her before thrusting forward once more, grinding his hips against hers as he buried himself inside of her. Hermione bit him again, urging him to rut with her. He didn't have to be told twice.

Severus took her with increasing force and speed. Each stroke was harder and faster than the last. Hermione nipped him and dug her nails deep into the base of his neck, encouraging him to remain rough with her.

She orgasmed again, falling back against his desk as her body trembled with spasms of pleasure that burned a path through her senses. There was only pleasure and the ability to feel that pleasure burning inside of her. Nothing else mattered.

Severus plunged into her again and again. The edge of Severus's desk dug into Hermione's lower back each time Severus thrust his hips forward. She would surely have a bruise later, but couldn't bring herself to care about it at the present moment.

Soon, Severus's movements reached a crescendo and he nipped her tongue as he came, leaning into her as he emptied himself inside her.

Hermione kissed Severus again, this time slower and gentler than before. He brought his hand between her legs again rubbed her pleasure center between his thumb and index finger. He pinched once and Hermione cried out in orgasm. As she rode her release, he began to kiss her neck. He scooted her up his desk a little and pushed her nightdress up to her stomach.

Hermione let her legs fall open and Severus positioned his head between her thighs. The thought alone of what he was about to do was almost enough to send her into climax. Severus gave her a little suckling kiss on the soft skin of her left inner thigh. He then took his time working his way up to where her leg met her body. He blew softly on her sex and that was almost enough to give her an orgasm. Her body was taut with anticipated pleasure and she shuddered as Severus gave her an extremely intimate kiss. She gasped quickly as his lips made contact with her throbbing center. He flicked his tongue slowly over her sex and Hermione twitched as a sudden current of bright ecstasy shot down her spine. Severus repeated the action, this time tonguing deeper, licking her wickedly. Hermione let out and uneven exhalation and moaned softly for more. The intensity of the pleasure stole her breath away. When Severus touched the tip of his tongue to her clit, Hermione arched her back dramatically, leaning herself into him.

Severus laved her thoroughly and Hermione orgasmed twice before Severus expertly took her clit between his teeth and sent Hermione into such a powerful climax that he nearly came again himself.

He was hard again and ready to take her.

Panting, Hermione raised herself into a sitting position and brought her lips to Severus's right ear.

"From behind," she told him in a low tone.

Severus didn't question her. He helped Hermione off his desk and turned her around. He spread her legs apart with his knee and angled his body to enter her. He paused with the head of his cock just touching her entrance.

"There's a better way to do this," he told her, his voice husky with arousal. Hermione shivered at the sound of it.

Severus left her and walked around the desk to a narrow table along the wall. His wand was on top of the table and he grabbed it and pointed it at the desk. In an instant there was no more desk, he'd transfigured it into a luxurious satin duvet the same dark mahogany color that the desk had been. It was several inches thick and large enough to fit a king sized bed. Hermione sank down to her knees as Severus came back to her. The duvet was more than an adequate cushion against the cold stone floor. Hermione pulled her nightdress over her head and flung it towards the wall. As she did that, Severus divested himself of his clothing and knelt behind her.

Severus gently pushed Hermione onto her hands and knees. Her back was flush with his chest and she could feel the hard muscles of his chest and thighs as he pressed his body against hers. He kissed her shoulder slowly, scraping his teeth against her skin and positioned his throbbing erection between her legs. He brought his hands beneath her body and ran his palms over her breasts as he drove himself into her.

Severus teased Hermione's nipples with his fingers and she groaned loudly. She instinctively angled her body so that she could take in as much of Severus as possible.

Severus soon increased the pace of his thrusts and after several minutes he worked up a sheen of sweat. Before he let himself go completely he brought his hand to the front of Hermione's sex while he stroked into her as fully as he could. He pressed her clit hard and began to drive into her with abandon. Hermione began to orgasm, drawn into a rising wave of pleasure as Severus teased her clit and pounded into her mercilessly at the same time.

Her biggest orgasm yet was building quickly and every nerve in her body tingled with anticipation. She cried out sharply just before Severus finally sent her over the edge and her world exploded into a thousand shards of sparkling pleasure.

Severus joined her in climax at the exact same moment and together they gave voice to their release. Severus went rigid as spasms rocked his body and he stayed inside her for several seconds after coming down from his orgasm.

They were both out of breath and covered in sweat. It took them a minute or so to come back to their senses. Severus withdrew from her and promptly stretched out on his back on top of the duvet. Hermione flopped onto her side.

Another minute of silence passed. Neither of them had the strength for speech quite yet.

For the first time since encountering Lucius Malfoy Hermione was free of any sexual desire. She was sure that was going to be temporary, but right now, while it lasted the feeling of warm satisfaction was simply divine.

There was no sharp pain. Only a general ache from what Severus had done and she would gladly take that over what it had been without complaint.

She sighed happily, content to just lie where she was. The duvet Severus had conjured was so comfortable she could fall asleep on it.

She forced herself to summon the will to get off the duvet. Severus watched her sit up. He looked like he was ready to stay the night on the floor of his office.

With a little effort Hermione stood up and dressed. She really wasn't looking forward to climbing the dungeon steps.

Hermione turned back to Severus and remembered that she had potions first thing in the morning.

"Are you going to fail me if I don't come to class tomorrow?"

Severus arched a brow.

"Pray tell, why would you miss it?"

"I haven't done much schoolwork since I got here. Actually, I haven't done any. I thought perhaps that you'd let me skip class so that I could get work done for my other classes as well."

"Just this once."

"Understood."

Hermione then left quietly, closing the door behind her.

Ten minutes later Severus dressed and restored his desk to its normal state. Unfortunately, he had essays to grade.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Déjà Vu and Back to Hell

Hermione woke up the next morning feeling as if she'd gotten the best night's sleep in her entire life. She smiled a little, the pain was still completely gone. It was such a _nice _feeling. Too bad it wouldn't last.

However, when it did return . . .

She didn't mind it coming back when her Potions Professor was so damn good at making it go away.

Hermione stretched languidly, a bit sore from said professor's recent ministrations.

In truth, she surprised herself at how easily she gave into her baser instincts. She knew it had to be partially attributed to the curse, and yet . . .

She never would have imagined that she'd have such a strong sex drive. Of course, the fact that Severus could make her orgasm at the drop of a hat probably had something to do with it.

Still, she wondered what it said about her that she chose to have _that_ kind of sex with Severus Snape over accepting Harry's offer to "make love" to her.

And she knew she hadn't denied Harry because she didn't think he was attractive. Harry was truly handsome. But unfortunately he paled in comparison to her potions professor when it came to sexual satisfaction.

For some reason that she wasn't quite prepared to dwell on, she preferred wild fucking to gentle lovemaking.

Maybe it _was _just the curse.

Or maybe it wasn't.

Hermione glanced at the clock. Potions was due to start in ten minutes. She'd damn well better get up and start on some essays to make up for not going to class. She had about four to write that were due either later that day or early the next morning. And while she liked writing essays, being forced to write on such a crunched timetable was not fun.

And she was supposed to have Defense Against the Dark Arts at two o'clock. She seriously, _seriously_ thought about giving up that class. But it wasn't as if she could stay at Hogwarts without catching sight of Lucius Malfoy. She was bound to see him in the Great Hall or in the stands at thrice damned Quidditch matches.

As much as she wanted to, she really couldn't avoid him completely.

But she wasn't sure she could handle being in the same room with him.

Though she also wouldn't be alone with him if she was in a classroom full of people. Still, she dreaded laying eyes on him.

If she couldn't muster the wherewithal to go to her Defense class now, she'd never be able to go to it and she hated to give Lucius the satisfaction of having cowed her enough to make her hide from him.

She'd like to think that she could show the blonde bastard that he didn't have as much power over her as he thought he did. If only she could believe that was true herself, she might have a shot at it.

As things stood now, she _knew _he had power over her. Her greatest fear was for him to actually see just how much power he had by watching her. Of course, Lucius being who he was, he probably knew that full well already.

She had a feeling things were going to get much worse no matter what she did.

Dressing quickly, Hermione went in search of her cast aside books and writing supplies.

Perhaps writing an essay on the pros and cons of elemental charms would let her mind relax.

As she sat down and cracked open a book, Hermione let out a delicate snort.

_Yeah, small chance that._

Severus made his usual rounds around the aisles of his classroom, as he watched the seventh year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws brew a rather complex purifying potion. Potter stood at a cauldron on the left hand side of the fourth row. Why the Boy Wonder kept sliding him looks, Severus didn't want to consider. Severus leveled a look at the boy, pouring a dangerous intensity into his gaze. He'd made students cry or suddenly stop breathing with less.

Why the hell was Potter taking NEWT level potions, anyway? He'd said something about entrance requirements for Auror Training, but Severus wasn't sure he believed that. Since one didn't have to apply to the auror college until after one's first year of university where one would have ample opportunity to take a University level potions class and thus fulfill the requirement, Severus had to wonder if Potter gained entry into _this _class for no other reason than to simply fuck with his mind.

If Potter sent just _one_ more look in his direction, Severus was fully prepared to throttle him within an inch of his life.

Severus decided to ignore Harry for the rest of the period. He sat at his desk, reading the most recent British Potions Journal.

When the class ended and Potter hung back after the rest of the students had left, Severus dearly wished he had a glass of alcohol in his hand. Blast the fucking laws of magic that made it impossible to conjure drink from thin air. As Potter approached the desk slowly, Severus was ready to start drinking wine straight from the bottle.

And he hadn't done that since he was twenty-four.

"_Yes, Potter?"_ Severus ground out, his hand tightening on the edge of the Potions Journal.

"Look," Harry began, raising his hands in a placating gesture, "I wouldn't be talking to you if it wasn't necessary. When I got back from Quidditch last night, Hermione wasn't around. And she wasn't at breakfast this morning. I'm concerned she might have gone to Malfoy."

Severus didn't blink, didn't even miss a beat.

"She wasn't with Malfoy."

"That's the answer I was hoping to hear," Harry said truthfully. If he was hiding his true reaction to Severus's statement, he was doing a remarkable job of it. "I'll just be on my way,"

"I think that would be wise," Severus said in smooth even tones.

Harry didn't try to say anything else as he made as dignified a hasty retreat as he could manage.

Hermione looked over her work and sighed. These weren't her best essays, not even by a long shot. She wasn't sure if she cared.

At least she _had_ written them, which was more than what some people could say if placed in her position. For the first time since everything had started with Lucius she was considerably hungry. And as she'd been eating normal amounts of food lately, she didn't think it was a good idea to skip out on lunch.

Her stomach constricted at the thought of seeing Malfoy in the Great Hall. Unfortunately, if she wanted to eat, she couldn't avoid the place. Worse, she couldn't help thinking about Lucius catching her alone in the hallway as she made her way towards the Great Hall.

She walked as briskly as she could. It wasn't as if Lucius didn't have any responsibilities at Hogwarts and he couldn't just materialize out of thin air. Still, Hermione's heart was in her throat as she made the trip.

When she reached the safety of the Great Hall she found she was actually trembling. Suddenly she wasn't as hungry as she had been only moments ago. As she drew further into the room, she had a sudden pang of fear. She felt like a deer who'd just walked into a hungry tiger's line of sight. She stiffened, she didn't have to look at the High Table to know who was sitting there.

It was as if everything had stopped. She didn't register any of the voices around her nor did she truly see what was going on. Her heart pounded in her eardrums and in a single vicious second, her intimate pain had returned with a violent kick.

She might have shrieked, but the sudden pain and agonizing fear had constricted her vocal cords.

She willed the pain to stop. It wasn't fair. She'd been free of it for less than twenty-four hours. It had returned in full, and clearly it was here to stay until she was mad enough with pain and desire to allow Lucius Malfoy to have his way with her. Unless her potions professor continued to counter the curse's affects.

And if this was how it was truly going to be, he'd have to do that every night.

No, this couldn't be happening.

How would she survive with her sanity intact if this is what being in Lucius's presence did to her? Day after day after day?

Even Severus wouldn't be able to help her then.

Throughout her years at Hogwarts, Hermione had attained a certain knowledge of what fear was. But she had never been afraid of herself.

She was afraid of herself now, because deep down she knew if enough time went by she wouldn't be able to resist Lucius Malfoy. No, strike that. Not only would she not be able to resist him, she wouldn't even _want_ to.

She didn't have to look at the High Table to know that he was watching her. She steeled herself for it and looked anyway.

Lucius's cold grey eyes locked with hers briefly. His gaze made her skin tingle as if he'd touched her. There was no smirk, no discernable expression on his features, but his eyes. Oh, his eyes. A sexual promise flashed within their depths and Hermione tore her gaze away.

She shouldn't have looked at him. It was doing really bad things to her body. She shuddered, trying to suppress her heightening physical desire through sheer force of will.

"Hermione?"

Harry's voice. She swallowed back a sharp exclamation of pain and deep frustration. Harry came to her side, he'd been sitting at the Gryffindor table. He looked at her and worry creased his features.

"Come on, Hermione, talk to me," he said softly.

She was sure the look she gave him reflected pure misery. Harry made as if to touch her and then stopped short of laying his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay," she said in a low voice. "It doesn't matter now."

Harry looked at her, and gently put an arm around her protectively.

"Let's go over here and sit down," he told her.

Hermione shot a sideways glance in the direction of where Harry had been sitting. Some people were watching, and Hermione was too upset to care what they might be thinking. Though she didn't care to think about what the queer look on Ginny Weasley's face meant. The girl's gaze was uncharacteristically cool and distant. Hermione looked down the table. Ron was staring at her as if he wasn't sure if he should ignore her or join her and Harry. Hermione was vaguely aware of Harry pulling lightly on her wrist.

She aimed her gaze at Harry's.

"I can't be here. Will you come with me back to Gryffindor Tower?"

"Hermione, . . . you _really_ should eat something," he told her.

"_Please_, don't force me to stay," she said imploringly. She shuddered involuntarily as a sharp spasm shot through her body.

Harry's lips thinned into a tight line, clearly conveying that it was against his better judgment to let her miss the meal, but he was willing to concede to her request.

"All right, let's go back to the common room."

Hermione tried to focus on breathing through the torturous discomfort exploding in her body's sensitive core as she walked with Harry. As she left Lucius's sight, she had no doubt at all that inwardly the man was reveling in her physical and emotional agony.

"You know I cannot talk here," Severus told Lucius in a low tone. He had come to take his lunch at the High Table so he might see how Hermione was faring. He now had his answer to that question.

The curse was still active.

Lucius's slow smirk made Severus itch to close his hands around the Death Eater's throat.

"Yes, yes, I am well aware. I thought you might comment on her leaving with Potter."

Severus slid Lucius a glance.

"What is there to say?"

Lucius smiled darkly.

"That's for you to tell me."

"Why should I care what she does?"

Lucius studied him for a couple seconds.

There was something in his look that made Severus go still.

"You shouldn't," Lucius said softly.

Severus glared at him.

"I don't."

"Very good. Make sure it stays that way."

"At least drink some water," Harry told Hermione, pouring her a glass from the pitcher on the side table in the Gryffindor common room.

Hermione accepted the proffered glass gingerly and took an extremely small sip. Harry gave her a prompting look and she drank a little more. He then took the glass from her. She looked as if she might drop it.

"Come sit," said Harry as he guided her to the room's sofa.

Hermione slowly sank into her seat, and took a slow breath. Harry let her have another sip of water.

Hermione didn't say anything for almost five minutes, and Harry didn't press her. Hermione darted a glance at the clock. Their Defence Against the Dark Arts class was due to start in nine minutes. Harry, noticing the direction of Hermione's gaze, broke the silence.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Hermione gave him a stricken look.

"Harry, you can't afford to lose marks in his class. It will reflect badly on your record."

"That is honestly the very least of my concerns right now."

"You should care," Hermione told him quietly.

"Do you truly want me to leave?"

Hermione looked at him, tears building in her eyes and ready to spill down her cheeks.

"No, I don't."

"There you have it then. I'm staying."

Hermione was silent for several seconds.

"I appreciate you doing this more than I can say, you know that right?"

Harry looked at her and smiled a little. It was a genuine smile and it warmed a corner of Hermione's heart.

"I'd do anything for you."

Hermione looked at him and didn't immediately respond. She knew Harry truly meant his words. They were sincere and spoken from the heart. But given their current situation, it hit her that _anything_ was open for her to interpret how she wished.

Hermione swallowed. For a heart stopping moment she truly considered having him pleasure her.

But it wouldn't be worth it. It would only make things worse if she were intimate with him now.

She shuddered and clenched her jaw against the sudden spike of pain between her legs.

She was terrified that in the end she'd go to Lucius. And if that was truly what was inevitable, why put herself through such sheer torture now? Why not go to him and satisfy the curse's compulsion before she drove herself mad?

She looked at Harry.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"You can ask me anything you like."

"What would you do if it was Narcissa Malfoy instead of Lucius and you were in my position?"

Clearly, Harry was a bit taken aback. He didn't immediately respond.

"I'd like to say that I would resist the curse. But honestly, I'm not sure I would be able to be that strong."

"And if it went on for weeks?"

Harry didn't say anything.

"You're not answering me," Hermione said softly.

But by Harry's silence, they both knew what his answer was.

"You have to remember that I wouldn't have any alternative," Harry told her. "You have Professor Snape."

Hermione looked at him sharply.

"I asked after you in Potions this morning. He admitted you and he were together last night."

Hermione didn't say anything for over a minute. What could she say?

"You're awfully quiet," Harry told her. "Is something troubling you?"

"I'd rather not talk about our Potions Professor," Hermione said with a note of uneasiness in her tone.

He gave her a direct look and the intensity of Harry's eyes burned her.

"If Snape did anything against your will, he's a dead man."

"No! Don't think that!"

Harry didn't say anything right away.

"Did he satisfy you?"

Hermione only nodded.

"But the pain didn't go away," Harry ventured.

"It only just came back when I saw Lucius in the Great Hall."

"Might I make a suggestion?"

"Go right ahead."

"Are you up for midnight foray to the library's restricted section?" Harry asked.

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"What? Are you hoping to find a volume titled _The Be All End All Manual to Countering Curses of Sexual Compulsion_?"

"Something like that."

Hermione considered Harry's suggestion.

"I'm not sure Hogwarts would have anything on the subject. For obvious reasons, of course."

"Come now, Hermione. Hogwarts has several books filled with curses that will liquefy a man's intestines. Surely there's something of note about curses of a sexual nature. Even a short note might be something to go on, right?"

"True . . . I'm just afraid that if I do find something, it's not going to be what I want to hear."

"Then we won't stop until we do find something that's good news."

The confidence in Harry's voice truly touched Hermione. She even smiled, just a little. Harry saw her expression and he two smiled in triumph at having lifted her spirits even a little.

Hermione suddenly tensed as stabbed through her again.

Gingerly, Harry touched Hermione's arm. He eased back onto the sofa fully and pulled Hermione with him.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, as he held her against his chest.

"Just relax," he whispered. "You're safe here now, I want you to try to rest."

"I'm not sure this is a good idea."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course, but-"

"Then relax."

Harry started to gently massage Hermione's temples. After a few minutes she sighed and allowed herself to relax as much as she was able. Harry moved his hands to her shoulders. She didn't realize how tight her muscles were until Harry began to work out the tension at the base of her neck. The fabric of her shirt prevented Harry from touching her skin with his hands.

"This would feel much better if I didn't have my shirt on," Hermione murmured.

She didn't think she'd actually said the words aloud.

"Take it off," Harry told her.

Hermione twisted to look at him.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"You'll get a better massage that way. I promise I can see you in your bra and still be a gentleman."

Hermione removed her shirt and draped it over the back of the sofa. Harry set to work on kneading her muscles with his bare hands.

Despite everything she actually smiled.

"And where did you learn to give massages?"

"I don't know, I suppose you can call it a hidden talent."

Hermione closed her eyes and after a while, she was able to get her mind off her pain. It was still there and it still hurt like hell, but being relaxed allowed her not to dwell on it.

And for that she was grateful.

Within an hour she was asleep in Harry's arms.

She didn't know that Harry had also drifted to sleep.

And the two of them had no idea that a couple of six year girls who had gotten out of class early had seen them together and without waking them had promptly left the common room.

One of those girls had flaming Weasley red hair.

They had no idea how hurt Ginny had been to see them together. If they had seen her, they might have been able to explain themselves. But as it was, the only explanation available to the redhead was the one she allowed her mind to imagine.

A/N: Again you have my apologies for being such an evil author. But you know it keeps you hooked on the story. : )

Poor Harry and Hermione are in a bit of a spot, aren't they?

You'll find out what happens soon, I promise.

Lots of love to all my readers! -Dafina


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Dinner and a Show

It worried Severus that Lucius hadn't told him his reasons for cursing Hermione Granger.

Was he doing it purely for sport?

While he couldn't discount the possibility entirely, Severus didn't think so.

There was something precisely calculating about Lucius's actions.

Had it been any other man, Severus wouldn't have thought twice about using Legilimency to gain answers.

But it wasn't any other man. It was Lucius thrice damned fucking Malfoy.

And he was the only man Severus couldn't manipulate or outthink.

The history between the two of them made that devastatingly clear.

The memories were indelibly burned into his mind. And as much as he wanted to, Severus Snape could never make himself forget.

He loathed Lucius with every fiber of his being. Yet even now, despite that hatred, there was no denying that some sort of dark desire for the man still burned within him.

The thought was almost enough to make him want to purge himself on the spot.

Instead he downed the remaining brandy in the glass before him and went into his private potions lab to finish his latest batch of wolfsbane for Remus Lupin.

Hermione opened her eyes to find Harry's hands resting on her bare stomach. By the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, she could tell he was sleeping peacefully.

How much time had passed? Quite honestly she was surprised that she'd fallen asleep.

Her heart leapt to her throat. If people came back to the Common Room and found the two of them together like this . . .

"Harry," she said, sitting up and grabbing her shirt.

He stirred and slowly raised his head to look at her.

"We fell asleep," he said, stretching his back while Hermione quickly buttoned her top.

They both looked at the clock.

"It's been nearly three hours?!" Hermione asked in a stricken tone.

"Unless the clock's wrong."

"You know it's not. Dinner's in about ten minutes, and if we miss it people are going to wonder where we are."

"Let them wonder, I don't want you to go down there and get upset again."

"What choice do I have?"

"Stay here and I'll just nip down and bring some food back to you."

"That's sweet of you Harry, but you don't understand. If we're not there I'm afraid people might start making up nasty rumours about what we've been doing together these past three hours."

Harry actually rolled his eyes.

"Whyever would they? So I walked you back to Gryffindor Tower and stayed with you because you weren't feeling well. People won't just suddenly think we've been shagging."

Hermione gave him a look.

"If those people were normal intelligent adults there wouldn't be a problem. However, you have to remember that we're talking about Hogwarts students here."

Harry sighed.

"What are you going to do if he's there?"

Hermione didn't have to ask who _he _was.

"I can't avoid his presence forever can I?"

"No, I don't suppose you can."

"I'll just have to grit my teeth and endure it. Besides, it's getting to the point where it isn't going to get any better. It's time to make myself get used to it."

Harry pursed his lips together in an expression that clearly conveyed his displeasure at Hermione's suffering.

"I'd love to see that bastard castrated," he told her vehemently.

"You and Severus both I'd wager," Hermione told him.

Harry stood up and dragged his hand through his hair.

"How does it look?"

"You'd better brush it."

"Right."

"I suppose I'd better try to tame mine a bit as well."

Less than five minutes later, Hermione and Harry met at the portrait hole.

"At least we won't be late," Harry commented as they descended the stairs.

Though they weren't late, when the two of them arrived in the Great Hall, they weren't early either. The long tables were all half filled with hungry students and there was a building din of conversation as Harry and Hermione approached the Gryffindor Table.

Hermione was aware that Lucius had yet to make an appearance. She was more than a little apprehensive about his arrival. She half hoped she could eat and make a quit exit before he even showed up but she knew that wasn't going to happen.

As it was, she was so caught up in her thoughts about Lucius Malfoy that she didn't immediately notice the unusual looks on the faces of the older Gryffindors. But when she moved to take the open seat across from Ginny and caught the burning look of hatred in the redhead's eyes, she suddenly drew up short.

Confusion, surprise and fear rolled together and Hermione met her friend's gaze with a look of sincere hurt.

"I can see that you're obviously not very pleased to see me," Hermione began.

"You think?" Ginny shot back.

There was no missing the intensity of the venom in her tone. Hermione was taken aback. Harry came to stand behind her and he was looking at Ginny as if she had suddenly gone mad.

"You needn't talk to her in that tone, Ginevra," Harry said firmly.

It was then that Ginny leveled a look so scathing on Harry's face that it almost made him take a step back.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh no, no, please someone tell me you aren't really thinking what I think you're thinking. Ginny look, listen to me. There's no need for you to get upset. Yes, I skipped class and spent the afternoon with Hermione. She was in some pain and wanted someone to keep her company."

Ginny maintained her glare.

"Lying to me won't help you. I _saw_ the two of you together in the Common Room. And let me say, you looked quite comfortable."

"I gave Hermione a bloody back massage! That's it I swear!"

Ginny actually laughed.

"Is that what you want to call it?"

"I didn't have sex with her!" Harry said angrily. "How dare you even assume such a thing!"

Hermione was acutely aware that more and more people were filing into the Great Hall. A lot of them were beginning to stare.

Ginny sneered at the two of them, her eyes locked on Harry's.

"And you just _had_ to give her a massage with her shirt off, didn't you?" Ginny asked viciously. She was extremely loud when she was angry and her voice carried throughout the chamber. There was no other sound in the room.

Hermione looked stricken. The last of the students were arriving, some were just standing in stunned silence, others were craning their necks in their seats to get a view of them. Hermione dearly wanted to run as she caught the form the Lucius Malfoy out of the corner of her left eye up at the High Table. Harry just looked at Ginny, not knowing what to say.

"Harry's telling the truth," Hermione told her.

Ginny snorted.

"And because you're such good _friends, _Harry decided to take a nap with you on top of him?"

"I know what it looked like Ginny, but I swear that nothing happened between us."

"Of course you say that now! The entire school is watching you! You'll stubbornly deny anything just to make yourselves look better in front of everyone! And no matter what I say, you'll deny everything now more so than ever since you've already proclaimed that you did nothing wrong! Do you think I'm dumb enough to think that you'd willingly admit to having intercourse while everyone can hear you?"

Ginny was shouting now. It was then that Ron and Seamus Finnigan stepped into the room. For once in their lives, they'd actually been caught up in the library working on a project together. Ron had been trying to better his schoolwork in an effort to impress Hermione.

The two of them took in the bizarre scene before them with looks of utter confusion.

"What's going on?" he asked his sister.

Ginny looked up at her brother. Hermione's stomach tightened painfully. Though she didn't want to date him, Hermione certainly didn't hate Ron and she wished she could have done something to prevent Ginny from making him think she'd slept with Harry. A large part of her had the urge to strangle Ginny before she could say anything.

"Harry and Hermione spent the afternoon shagging each other," she told him dispassionately. "They say that nothing happened, but I saw them together in the Common Room. They were both asleep and Hermione was on top of Harry with her shirt off."

Ron was momentarily too stunned to speak.

"It seems like the two of them have been keeping their true feelings for each other hidden from us for quite some time," Ginny told him sadly. She then looked back at them. "Or did you only just discover your burning passion for each other?"

Ron made himself look at Harry and Hermione.

"Is it true?" he asked softly.

"Can we _not _talk about this here?" Harry asked imploringly.

"I think I asked you a question," Ron said evenly. Harry had never heard his best friend's voice sound so cold.

Harry met his gaze.

"If I answer your question with a no are you going to believe me?"

"Is that really the answer you want to give?" Ron asked.

"It's the truth."

"Then why would Ginny lie?"

"She did see us on the sofa in Gryffindor Tower but Hermione had a bad headache this afternoon so I stayed with her and gave her a massage to ease her pain. She took her shirt off so I could give her a better massage. However that may sound, there was nothing sexual about it."

_That's not strictly true,_ Hermione thought traitorously. For the briefest of moments something had definitely passed between them but she had chosen to let it pass as if it had never happened.

Ginny studied Harry though narrowed eyes.

"I _know_ you don't want to hear this, but I feel I have to say it nonetheless, if only so that you'll know the two of them are lying to you, Ron."

"What?" he asked, looking at his sister.

Harry suddenly stiffened.

"_Don't. _Not here. We'll continue this conversation somewhere more private."

"No, I don't think so. I rather think you deserve the humiliation."

"_Please, Ginevra. I'm begging you. If you have any decency in you at all you'll hold your tongue."_

"You know what? Right now I really don't fucking care what you say, Harry!"

It seemed like every student in the Great Hall was holding their breaths in anticipation.

Lucius took a sip of wine and smirked at Severus. Severus's face remained impassive. He didn't let on that he would have loved nothing better than to transfigure Lucius's wine into deadly acid.

"How quaint, it's dinner and a show. I daresay Dumbledore could have charged money for the students to see this. He certainly would have made a killing."

"Perhaps you'd enjoy seeing Potter and Weasley duel to the death as well?"

Lucius laughed softly.

"I'd make that an extra charge."

Severus sighed.

"I'm sure you would."

Severus took a long fortifying sip of his wine.

Perhaps if he drank enough he'd have less of an urge to kill the blonde Death Eater in front of the whole school.

But oh how he itched to give the devious son of a bitch some serious pain. He idly wondered if he could find or create a curse that would make Lucius's balls feel as if they were being crushed in an iron vice.

He looked at the rest of the staff table. All of the professors save for Dumbledore and McGonagall were riveted to the unfolding scene before them. Dumbledore and McGonagall were talking to themselves, it seemed that Minerva wanted Dumbledore to put a stop to what was going on, but Dumbledore preferred not to interfere, saying it wasn't his place to stop the Gryffindor Table from making a public display, unless of course wands were drawn.

As it was, no one had broken any school rules.

Yet.

Severus turned his attention back to the four Gryffindors, his wine goblet close at hand. It looked like he'd definitely be needing a second or third glass tonight.

Harry stared at Ginny, silently imploring her to adopt a more rational line of thought. Unfortunately, his efforts proved to be utterly futile.

"You see," Ginny began in a matter-of-fact tone, "Whenever Harry would give _me _back massages, it was always a prelude to sexual intercourse. It would arouse him unlike anything else."

Hermione shot a look at Harry. She wasn't mad at him. But the look on her face clearly told him that perhaps he should have thought a little more before he decided to offer to give her a massage.

But then, it had been so heavenly that even if she had known this _interesting_ bit of information she probably wouldn't have cared.

Ron's cheeks reddened at his sister's cavalier talk of her sex life with Harry.

"You see what I'm saying don't you?" she asked. "Harry says he only gave her a massage, but I'm not sure it would be possible for him to do so without having any sexual desire."

"I know it might surprise you Ginevra, but it is actually possible for me to give a completely platonic massage. Why don't you ask Hermione and she'll tell you all about it. Surely you do realise that I have a choice in making something like a simple back massage either platonic or erotic, right?"

"Answer my next question truthfully and I might think about believing you," Ginny said seriously. "Do you feel any sexual attraction towards her at all?"

Harry swallowed.

"Is this really necessary?"  
"Yes."

Harry looked at Hermione. He thought about lying. He really did. But if he wanted to maintain his personal integrity he found that even though he might be the only one who knew the truth, aside from Hermione of course, he couldn't blatantly lie to Ginny.

She was asking him to admit to being attracted to Hermione in front of the entire school. And if that's what she wanted, so be it.

"I'm attracted to her, but that doesn't mean I'm going to shag her, okay?"

"So what, you've been keeping this a secret from me?" Ginny asked, outraged.

The utterly wounded and betrayed look on Ron's face made Hermione's heart twinge in pain.

"I thought we were friends, Harry," Ron said glumly. "I really thought we were."

"Ron . . ."

"Don't."

"Please,"-

"I hate you right now, okay?! How could you do this to my sister? Wasn't she good enough for you?"

Harry hung his head. He then forced himself to look at Ginny. He opened his mouth to speak but Ginny didn't give him the chance.

"If you try to apologise I'll hex your scrotum."

Harry swallowed back whatever he had been about to say.

It was all too surreal. He could barely believe that this whole thing was happening in front of the entire school. He distinctly felt like he was the star of some kind of Muggle soap opera.

Ginny turned her attention to Hermione.

"You know I always wondered why Viktor Krum chose to go to the ball with you. And now I think I know why."

"Please don't," Hermione said helplessly.

Ginny glared daggers at her.

"Harry said you had a headache I think? If that were true, why the hell didn't you go to Madam Pomfrey? Obviously it had to be really bad to make you miss all of your classes today."

"I don't know, all right?"

Ginny snorted.

"Yeah whatever."

"What can I say to make you believe me?"

"At this point? Nothing. I've got to say that a headache is a pretty poor excuse for missing class when Madam Pomfrey can cure even the worst migraines with a healing spell."

Hermione was acutely aware of hundreds of eyes watching her. It was such a horrible feeling. And it was a thousand times worse with Lucius's curse thrown into the mix.

There was a rage in her building and as people started to whisper about her behind their hands to their neighbors she turned and faced them with a look of livid fury etched onto her features.

"MIND YOUR OWN FUCKING BUSINESS!" she shouted as loud as she could.

It was suddenly completely quiet.

She wanted to run, she really, really did.

She didn't.

Harry put an arm around her. She was trembling.

Hermione found that she was beginning to feel a little light headed.

She couldn't remember when she'd last had a decent meal. She really needed to eat something.

McGonagall stood up and quickly made her way to the Gryffindor Table.

"Hermione dear, why don't you come take dinner in my office? I don't want to see you collapsing onto the floor."

Hermione swallowed.

"Harry is welcome as well," the old witch told her.

Hermione nodded.

"All right."

McGonagall then turned to Ginny.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor Ginevra, for delaying dinner and bringing about such a scene."

Ginny looked at her for a second or two, got up and stormed away.

Harry and Hermione followed McGonagall out of the Great Hall without protest.

Severus watched them go.

He now had a death grip on his wine goblet.

It was a damn good thing that it wasn't made of glass.

Lucius turned to him with an elegantly arched brow.

"Something troubling you?"

Severus met his gaze easily. Damn, the man was perceptive.

Too perceptive.

Severus leaned closer to Lucius.

"Only that Minerva will try to get the Mudblood to talk to her. I just hope to hell that she doesn't tell the old bitch I seduced her."

"Oh, come now. Do you really think she would?"

"She's not a Slytherin, Lucius. Nor does she think like one. That being said I can't truly say what she would or wouldn't do."

It was an easy lie. Severus had no fear at all that Hermione was going to tell Minerva anything about the two of them.

But Lucius didn't know that.

Severus was on his second glass of wine and he downed the rest of its contents in one swallow.

He found himself wishing for the first time in a long while that he was drinking something much stronger than wine.

Why in the names of all the gods did he have to be involved in this?

And to think he'd actually chosen to be put into his current position!

Things were going to get much worse.

Of that, he was certain.

A/N: Sorry for the wait! I've been traveling a lot. But I have pictures of my two vacations on Deviant Art. My user name is Bellafira.  I went to the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. If you're curious take a look at my page there to see what I do when I'm not writing fanfiction!

I'll update again soon. I'm not going anywhere exciting for awhile.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Looking For Answers

Having escaped Minerva McGonagall with a minimal amount of dialogue Hermione and Harry left the castle to escape for a bit from the tension that was surely waiting for them back at Gryffindor Tower.

Hermione led Harry down to the lake and seated herself on the grass, resting her back against a tree. Harry sat next to her. For several minutes neither she nor Harry spoke.

"I think that might have been the singularly most disastrous event of our entire Hogwarts career."

Harry made a face.

"I had no idea she was capable of doing something like that."

Hermione exhaled a long and tired sigh and looked out across the lake.

"People don't always behave how you'd expect them to," Hermione told him.

"True. I suppose we just learned that the hard way." Harry glanced back at the castle. "When do you think it will be safe to go back?"

"It'll be difficult no matter when we face the rest of the school. And unless we can Obliviate them all, it's going to take a long time before things resume any degree of normalcy."

Harry didn't immediately say anything.

"This is all my fault," he said in a low voice.

Hermione looked at him, arching a brow. She then let out a snort.

"What?" Harry asked, clearly understanding that he'd somehow missed something.

"You're not serious, are you?" she asked.

Harry swallowed uncomfortably.

"If I hadn't given you that massage . . ."

"Oh, come off it! If you think that makes this situation your fault then I'm as much to blame because I agreed to let you do it."

Harry looked away.

"Harry, look at me. This isn't your fault at all. All of this is Lucius Malfoy's fault."

"I suppose you're right, but still . . ."

Hermione gave him a look.

"No. You're not allowed to 'but still' anything. It's his fault, and his fault alone."

"All right, it's his fault," Harry said, acquiescing at last.

"Good."

Harry picked up a stone and sent it skipping across the lake's still water. It was nearing the end of sunset and the sky had yet to be stripped of it's color.

"Are you still coming to the library with me tonight?" Hermione asked him.

"When do you want to go?"

"In awhile. I think I'd like to sit here and pretend that things are going to be okay again soon," Hermione said softly.

A look of deep concern wrought Harry's features.

"Hey, things _are _going to be okay," said Harry. There was no missing the sincere conviction in his tone.

Hermione didn't respond.

Harry reached over and touched Hermione's shoulder.

"You don't believe me," he said.

Hermione put her hand on Harry's.

"I really want to," Hermione said, her voice just above a whisper. "But right now, I just can't bring myself to count on things being resolved without any serious problems. I've never been one for false optimism."

"You're afraid of what will happen?"

Hermione looked into Harry's eyes.

"How can I not be?"

"I wish I could protect you."

"You can't."

"I realise that, . . . but that doesn't make me stop wishing that I could."

The two of them sat together and the last rays of sunlight dropped below the horizon and night set in over the school grounds.

Once they were sure the library would be closed, the two of them made their way back to the castle.

Hermione scanned titles in the Restricted Section, cocking her head to read the spines as she moved down the aisle. There was _Curses of the Living Dead, Deadly Tribal Magic of Africa, ­_and _The Cruciatus Curse: A History Through the Ages._

None of those would help her. She and Harry had been at the library for about half an hour and they hadn't come across even one thing that was relevant.

"See anything?" she asked Harry.

"Not yet, but that doesn't mean it's not here."

"I don't know about that. Even if something was here, Malfoy might have pulled it from the shelf to prevent me from undoing the curse."

Harry didn't immediately say anything. She did have a valid point.

"Well since he knows you can't prove it, he may not have seen the point."

"Perhaps."

They continued searching, moving in opposite directions to most efficiently cover the area. Hermione continued to scan shelves, dropping to her knees to read the lowest row of books. Finally, something caught her eye. There was a book bound in crimson red leather with black lettering bearing the title, _Curses of Love and Lust._ It wasn't a terribly big book, but then it didn't have to be.

Hermione took it from the shelf and opened its cover.

"Damn!" Hermione whispered vehemently as soon as she saw the inside of the book. The pages had been very neatly stripped away. None of the original text was left. In its place someone had left a copy of the magical Kama Sutra. Hermione was willing to bet good money that someone was named Lucius Malfoy. The magical Kama Sutra was much the same as the muggle version, only this had moving photos.

_Wonderful, _Hermione thought sarcastically. She suddenly had the pressing need to kill something with her bare hands. There would be bonus points for her sanity if that something was Lucius Malfoy.

Her chance at getting valuable information gone, Hermione shut the book much harder than was strictly necessary and returned it to the shelf. She stood up and nearly shrieked when she heard her potions professor's voice directly behind her.

"And what do we have here, I wonder?" he asked, stepping closer. His face was obscured by shadow, and Hermione couldn't properly see his expression.

"I thought there might be something useful here, perhaps something that would enable me to block Lucius's curse, but he's already been here and tampered with the only book in the collection that was relevant."

Snape arched a brow, despite Hermione's inability to see his face in the dark.

"How do you know it was he who tampered with the book?"

Hermione gave him a look.

"I'm sure it was him."

Snape was implacable.

"Why?"

"He gutted the book and put a copy of the wizarding Kama Sutra in its place."

"Yes that sounds like him," Snape remarked.

"Harry's here too, helping me look, but it seems like we've been wasting our time."

"The book wouldn't have really helped you, anyway."

"Why not?" Hermione asked, looking at him.

"Miss Granger," Snape said evenly, "If you are looking for a magical way to escape the curse's effects you aren't going to find one. You must realise that your unique cleverness hasn't escaped Lucius's notice. Besides, if there had been some kind of obscure counter spell don't you think I would have told you?"

"Not if it was something you didn't know existed."

"Surprising at it may seem, I've done enough research on the topic to know you won't find anything of import. Think, please, Miss Granger. What is the end objective of such a spell as the one you are currently under?"

"Me having sex with Lucius bloody fucking Malfoy," she said.

Severus came closer to her, his arms folded across his chest. "Just so. That being said, if such a curse wasn't completely unbreakable, it would be pretty damn pointless to cast it."

"Killing him would make it stop, wouldn't it?"

"I'm afraid killing Lucius Malfoy is something easier said than done," he said into her ear.

Hermione's stomach contracted sharply at her professor's close proximity. She could feel his body heat against her skin and her breath caught in her throat. And suddenly a stabbing thrust of white hot pain shot through the core of her body. Her body jerked from the intensity of it and she would have screamed, but the pain was so bad there was no breath in her lungs to give voice to her agony. It was undoubtedly the worst it had ever been.

Hermione gasped for breath and was dimly aware of her professor's steadying hands on her waist. She closed her eyes, and let Snape support her while she rode through the worst of the pain.

It truly didn't help her pain that as she closed her eyes her mind was assaulted with images of her body intimately locked with Lucius Malfoy's. The images were unnervingly vivid and nearly enough to induce a small orgasm, despite her sheer torture.

Slowly, the pain receded and Hermione was able to breathe again. It was then she noticed that she had a serious death grip on Snape's left shoulder. He hadn't said anything, but she knew she'd been hurting him.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice trembling more than a little.

"It's all right."

"No, it's not," Hermione told him in a low tone. She felt the distinct need to be sick, but her muscles were so sensitive that she didn't want to bring herself any more pain by retching. Also, she didn't think her professor would appreciate her emptying her stomach with him standing just a few inches away.

Harry approached, noting the look on Hermione's face. Hermione didn't miss the fact that he was empty handed.

"Hullo, Professor," Harry said.

"Potter," Snape acknowledged. It was clear that his voice missed the usual venom with which he spoke Harry's name.

"Things can't go on like this," Hermione said miserably. Tears were beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

Neither Harry nor Snape said a word for over a minute.

"Whatever you're feeling now, I assure you that you will feel infinitely worse if you seek solace in Lucius Malfoy," Snape said.

"Professor, do you have even the slightest idea of what I'm feeling now?"

"You might be surprised."

"Then you'll forgive me if I'm beginning to think that _nothing_ can be worse than this."

"_Trust me, Miss Granger_," Snape said coolly. "Going to him now would be the worst mistake you could make."

Hermione stared at him, assessing his words.

"Really?" she asked him. "Why should I listen to you? You do have the Dark Mark on your arm, just like he does. Are you really any different than he is? Perhaps you merely want to dissuade me from going to him because that would mean you'd no longer have me beneath you."

For several seconds Snape didn't speak.

"Do you truly think I'm like him?" he asked her softly.

Hermione was shaking now.

"Considering who you are, I'd have to be pretty naïve to blindly put my trust in you wouldn't I?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"It doesn't matter! Despite what I might think about you I still can't objectively say that it's a good idea to trust you."

Snape held her gaze.

"Fine. Don't trust me. If Potter here tells you to avoid Lucius at all costs will you listen to him?"

"The very last thing I want to do is involve myself sexually with Malfoy. However, we don't always get to do what we want, do we?"

"No, Miss Granger, you're right. We don't. I obviously can't make the decision for you. But I don't think I have to tell you that you aren't in the most rational frame of mind right now."

"You don't think I'm rational?"

"Hermione," Harry began a little tentatively. "Don't go getting your knickers in a twist or anything but I sort of agree with Professor Snape."

"Why?!"

Harry and the potions professor exchanged a look.

"I think this curse, . . . it's kinda making you have something like PMS right now. I understand that your body is under a lot of stress right now, and probably your hormones aren't normal either, but just try to calm down."

"Calm down? Is that what you would do if you were in my position?"

"I'd at least _try_ to calm down."

Hermione looked at him like he was mad.

"Take a nice relaxing deep breath," Harry instructed her gently.

Hermione took a breath in and just when it looked like she was going to exhale and help bring herself back to a normal mindset, her entire body tensed and she made a strangled exclamation of pain.

Snape and Harry both made a move towards her but Hermione recoiled.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Luckily Snape, who had anticipated what was to come, placed a lightning fast silencing charm on her before she opened her mouth. Hermione was openly crying now as she tried to slow down her shallow, rapid breathing as her entire body was wracked with pain. Ten seconds passed. Snape and Harry watched her. Hermione couldn't quite master breathing evenly.

Snape tried to move towards her again, and he actually got a hand on he wrist before she wrenched out of his grip and started running. He and Harry took off after her. As Hermione was running with severe pain, she was no match for the two men who pursued her.

Snape caught Hermione down a little way in the corridor, with Harry hot on his heels. Hermione wasn't too happy. She struggled to get away, but this time his grip held.

Harry wasn't terribly adept at lip reading but he could certainly tell that Hermione was mouthing obscenities at her professor.

He came into Hermione's field of vision and she sent him a purely poisonous glare. Harry, not knowing what else to do, settled for giving a little shrug and trying his best to look sympathetic.

"Potter," Snape said smoothly. "Do you happen to have your Invisibility Cloak with you?"

"Yes, why?"

"May I borrow it? I have to get her away from here and it might look a little strange if someone were to see me walking through the school with her thrown over my shoulder."

"Of course," Harry told him, handing the requested item over with care.

"I'll have it back to you tomorrow after class."

"Shall I leave then?"

Snape looked at Harry.

"Yes, Potter you should leave."

"See you in class then," Harry told his potions professor before turning away.

He could feel Hermione's eyes at his back. He had a feeling that she might not be too happy with him later.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long. I've had a lot of menstrual pain this past month and soon I get to have exploratory surgery because of it. I'll update more quickly. I did do a pretty nifty outline of the rest of the story. This chapter is about the halfway point.

For those of you who asked about the sequel to Unlikely Partners, I am going to update it when I'm done with this story. I just needed a break from that plot and I'll definitely be ready to get back into it when I'm done with Enspelled.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Some Kind of Solace Part 1

Hermione had the sudden burning urge to knee her Potions Professor in the groin when he finally set her on her feet. She kept her urge in check, barely.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked angrily, her expression becoming even more outraged when she realized he had yet to remove the silencing spell he'd placed on her.

Snape's lips twitched in a vague facsimile of a smile. That minutest of gestures was enough to send his little captive Gryffindor into a sudden fit of violence. She thrust her knee up and forward in an explosion of motion. Right when she was certain she would hit her mark, Snape dodged back and caught her roughly. The next thing Hermione knew she was spun around and hauled against her professor's chest. She was pinned against his body by his right arm, firmly resting just above her breasts and his left hand locked around her wrist. She couldn't twist or jerk out of his hold. She couldn't see his face, but her expression turned positively murderous.

"Unhand me now or I'll report this to Dumbledore," she said in a lethal tone. At least the silencing spell was lifted so he could here her. Unfortunately nothing happened.

"You go ahead and do that. Please give him my regards while you're at it."

"I _mean _it _Severus Snape_. This is my last warning!"

"Be sure to try one of the Headmaster's chocolate cordials when you see him. They're really one of his better obsessions."

"_Let. Me. Go."_

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I don't always do what I'm told. All that Slytherin independence, you know."

Hermione actually growled. In a sudden burst of energy she tried to break free. She failed and found out that Snape was seriously strong. He held her in an iron grip, tightening his hand on her wrist.

"You're hurting me!" Hermione yelped.

His grip relaxed a degree.

"He'd be hurting you a great deal more than that, if you were with him now."

Hermione didn't say anything.

"He's hurting me now anyway," she said under her breath.

"I won't let you go to him tonight."

"You can't stop me," Hermione said emphatically. "If you really understood what he's doing to me, you wouldn't interfere."

"And what would you do if I told you that I did understand?" Snape asked softly.

There was something in Snape's voice that made Hermione go still.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?"

Hermione's stomach clenched as her mind centered on the only thing Snape could be talking about.

"Let me go," Hermione said quietly. There was no anger in her voice now. She wasn't sure if he would comply, but he did. She turned around and stared into his eyes. There was something in them she had never seen before. Though what was reflected in his eyes was only a mere shadow of emotion, there was no mistaking that the emotion was a great soul-deep pain.

"He did this to you?"

"You see, Miss Granger. I do understand what you're feeling, more so than any other, and that is precisely why I'm doing this."

"Was the curse broken after you were with him?"

"No. Young and ignorant as I was, I thought it would be. Instead, I came to crave his body with an all-consuming hunger. At first, it was so powerful I couldn't fight it. I wouldn't have wanted to even if I could. I didn't realise the true strength of his power over me until it was nearly too late. Soon enough my addiction to him changed me into a truly disgusting creature who begged to be used in any fashion Lucius saw fit."

Hermione didn't immediately say anything. She wasn't sure she even knew what to say.

"How did you break the spell?" she asked point blank.

The look Snape turned on her was truly chilling.

"That's just the thing, Miss Granger. I couldn't truly free myself from it."

Hermione blinked at him, hearing his words but unwilling to acknowledge what they might mean.

"You're still . . ."

"Still seeking him for sex?" Snape asked coolly. "My, Miss Granger, you _are _quick on the uptake."

Hermione took an uneasy step backwards. It was then that she realized that Snape had taken her to his private rooms. She was in a black carpeted parlor with oak paneled walls. There were glass book shelves and a glass table next to a very comfortable look warm tan and cream couch.

"Have you been lying to me? Were you lying when I asked you if you knew about this?"

"No. But do recall that I did tell you that I was the very worst person for you to get involved with."

"YOU DIDN'T BLOODY TELL ME WHY!"

Snape curled his lip in disgust.

"As if it would have mattered at the time. Even if I had told you then, I'm sure you would have ended up in the same position."

Hermione didn't miss the heavy sexual innuendo in his last comment. Snape stared at her.

"Or perhaps I should put an "s" on that last word."

Hermione recoiled. "Stop it!"

Snape sighed. "You know I'm right."

Hermione walked unsteadily to the room's couch and sat on its edge. Neither she nor Snape said anything for nearly a minute.

"Are you keeping anything else from me?" Hermione asked. "If you tell me no I'm not going to believe you."

Snape walked towards her.

"Remember the first potion I gave you? The one before the contraceptive potion?"

"What did it do?"

"It hid the true state of my soul from you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Snape grimaced as if in pain.

"It shouldn't come as a surprise that my soul isn't as pure as the average person's. During intercourse it's common for magically intuitive witches or wizards to see their partner's soul at the moment of climax. The potion I gave you clouded your ability to perceive the darkness in my soul."

Hermione swallowed hard. "Are you saying that there's evil in your soul?"

"There's evil in everyone's soul, Miss Granger. Don't you know that? It's part of being human."

"You _know_ what I mean."

"I think you can answer that question for yourself. You are supposed to be the brightest witch of your year, after all."

Hermione digested that for a moment. At last she looked at her professor. There was no fear in her gaze.

"Reverse the effects of the potion."

"No. It's not that simple. If I did that there's a risk the curse would make you develop an intense attraction to Dark Magic. Especially since you've never been exposed to it in a sexual manner. If that happened, . . . it wouldn't be very long before you found your way to Lucius's bedroom."

"You have an answer for everything don't you?"

"I'm merely being honest."

"You make it sound so logical and reasonable."

"If I were helping Lucius Malfoy, he would have already had his way with you by now."

"I know you talked to him about this. What exactly was said?"

"First, you have to realise that you can't trust what he says."

"All right."

"He wants to corrupt your soul and use you as a tool to hurt the Order of the Phoenix."

"Of course he does!"

"Miss Granger,"

"I know, you're being serious. It's just so horribly overwhelming. And I suppose he wants you to help him? You had to promise him _something_ if he let you spend the night with me."

"I won't let him hurt you."

"I'm afraid to think about what the future might bring. I have this soul-penetrating feeling that something horrific is going to happen. I don't know what it is and I don't know if it can be stopped."

"Worrying about it isn't going to help you."

"No? Care to tell me what will?"

"It didn't seem like you were worrying last night."

"I thought sleeping with you would help. I obviously was mistaken. Please, just let me go. I can take Harry's cloak with me back to Gryffindor Tower."

"So you're just going to let yourself suffer through the pain? Or perhaps you'll let Potter ease your discomfort again."

"What? What do you mean- Oh, for the love of all the gods! I didn't have sex with Harry!"

"Perhaps you should have."

"What on earth do you mean by that?"

"It's obvious he cares for you. Quite frankly I'm surprised you didn't give him a try."

"For the tenth time already, it wouldn't do any good!"

"You keep saying that. How do you know for sure if you don't let him attempt to please you?"

Hermione looked away. She pretended to study the plush pile of the carpet with avid interest.

"You don't have an answer to that, do you?" Snape asked. He stood with all the haughty grace of a man who was supremely confident he was correct.

Hermione's voice caught in her throat. She darted her gaze to her professor's face.

"He's not you," she said in a tight voice.

"Excuse me, but come again?"

"I'm rather certain you heard me the first time."

Snape moved around the table to sit next to her. Hermione could feel the fire in her blood flaring at the closeness of his body. He wasn't even sitting terribly close to her.

"Please, I can't stay here."

Hermione moved to stand up but Snape caught her wrist. Again.

"Do you really want to go?" he asked her in a low tone.

It made Hermione shiver. A shockwave of desire mixed with a sharp pang of pain rolled through her body, starting at its most intimate center.

"If I thought it would help me, I'd stay. But I have to think rationally. There's schoolwork I'm behind on, and I fancy a nice long shower."

Snape arched a brow.

"There's a shower here."

"I'm sure there is, but you see I think it would be better just to"—

Hermione didn't get to finish her sentence because Severus Snape chose that second to kiss her deeply, pulling her to him. His lips moved against hers in heated passion and his hands began to move down her sides.

"Don't think," he told her. "Just feel." His tongue sent sharp explosions of pleasure traveling through every nerve and heat coiled tightly within her. She opened her mouth for him, eagerly accepting his ravenous assault on her lips and tongue. She arched her back as he found an extremely sensitive spot behind her teeth.

Hermione moved to straddle her professor as his hands found the top buttons of her blouse.

While she might regret this later, at the moment she was enjoying the temporary diversion from her pain far too much to care. A sudden wave of bright stabbing pain shot through her and she quickly sucked in a breath to prevent from crying out. She learned to transfer her pain into her lust and only kissed Snape harder as she endured the nearly unbearable physical pain.

And in fact she only did endure it because she had her Potions Professor's hard and masculine body beneath her. While she still wasn't certain if she should allow herself to trust him, especially after what he'd told her, she forced all thoughts about his loyalty to the back of her mind. She certainly didn't have to trust him to have sex with him.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. The love scene will be continued in the next chapter as I want to do something special at the end. I've had a bad week and wanted to get this posted. I planned on doing this sooner, but my 4 year old house rabbit died yesterday and I didn't feel like writing last night. I don't know what happened to him, he was fine on the weekend, and then he stopped eating on Tuesday. He died on Wednesday night and it wasn't exactly a peaceful death. I think maybe he had some kind of heart condition I didn't know about. My friends told me to play with my kitty and watch movies with her and I've been doing that a lot. I think it's helped a little.

Look for another chapter in less than a week.


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you to everyone who sent their condolences about my bunny! It really meant a lot to me. : )

Chapter 17: Some Kind of Solace Part II

Lucius looked out the window and studied the night sky. Clouds obscured the moon and stars. Lucius took a sip of his Riesling. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

It was almost time for the truth to be revealed. He reached into the pocket and drew out a blue opalescent stone in the shape of a six-pointed star. It was good sized, about the size of a golf ball. Against the candlelight in Lucius's rooms, the stone was slightly opaque. At the moment it was faintly warm.

The stone was a Starstone, a rare item able to measure the purity of souls. Indeed it was so rare, as to have been relegated to the stuff of myth and legend. Lucius had payed a pretty penny for it and it hadn't exactly been easy to track down.

But oh the price would be worth it when he destroyed Severus Snape and made Hermione Mudblood Granger suffer the ultimate torture of feeling her own soul die within her body.

With the Starstone in hand Lucius turned from the window.

He could feel the stone getting warmer.

And unless he'd greatly misjudged Severus and the man truly had a purely dark soul, the stone would soon be glowing as bright as the sun. The thing of it was, there was only one way for a match to be physically apparent. If both souls were of like purity, the couple would glow at the climax of their physical union.

He'd taken the pains to find out who Severus Snape's soul match was. Everyone had one somewhere, but hardly anyone ever found them. Lucius had found Severus's for him. He let out a contemptuous snort at the very thought. Hermione Granger was Severus's one and only soul match. It really was disgustingly ironic. And just plain disgusting. Lucius almost shuddered as he considered being soul matched with a mudblood. So, with that information in mind Lucius had performed a series of dark spells that would ensure that Severus and Hermione would have a sexual encounter. And finally he'd attuned the stone to both of their magical essences. If their souls were matched during intercourse, it would glow right along with them. If not, no match would be acknowledged and the stone would remain opaque. If Severus's soul was pure enough to truly match with Hermione's, the double-crossing bastard had a lot to answer for. Lucius would gladly pay him for his treachery. And as a bonus he'd get to have Granger as an interesting little toy.

He hadn't really expected the stone to give a response the first time Severus and the mudblood had intercourse. It seemed the magic in the stone was too pure to recognize the physical union if that union was one of mindless animalistic copulation.

Now it was their second union and Lucius was willing to bet things were going to be a little different.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Hermione peeled Snape's shirt from his body. She smiled into his mouth as she ran her hands over his muscles. She really could get used to touching his body.

His hands massaged her lower back, slowly drifting down to her buttocks and upper thighs. She leaned into him more, inhaling his scent. He smelt of sandalwood, wolfsbane oil, and man. Hermione smiled more. Right now, he was hers.

She licked his neck before kissing it with ravenous hunger. She raked her teeth against his skin hard enough to leave marks. He didn't seem to care.

Well, that wasn't entirely true.

It seemed he did care as made evident by the very prominent and incredibly hard bulge at the center of his body. His erection twitched as she continued to ravage his neck with her teeth and tongue.

Hermione tensed suddenly and braced herself against a savage wave of pain, biting Severus's shoulder. Evidently she'd bitten him a little harder than she should have for he gasped sharply in pain.

Hermione immediately pulled back.

"Sorry!" she said quickly.

Severus didn't say anything, he only grasped her collar and yanked her lips down to his and gave her a long drugging kiss, deep and hard. Crushing his lips against hers, he moved her onto her back, covering her body with his.

Never breaking away from her lips, Severus freed his erection from his trousers with a few deft movements of one hand. Waiting no further invitation he slid into her with one smooth movement.

Hermione arched beneath him, bucking her hips to meet his. Severus obligingly ground his hips over hers, his muscles taught as he savored the delicious friction. He pulled out and immediately thrust forward again. Hermione's fingers tightened around his shoulders and she stiffened and let out a sort of mewling cry of pure pleasure. Somewhere where her mind was still working she knew it was very unusual for a woman to experience and orgasm on penetration alone. She guessed that whoever had said that never had sex with Severus Snape.

Spasms wracked her body; bright shards of pleasure broke through her body temporarily canceling out the throbbing undercurrent of vicious pain. Severus thrust into her again and Hermione could swear she could see sparkling prisms of light as she looked at the ceiling and arched high off the cushions beneath her. Her breasts pressed firmly into the hard plains of Severus's chest. She gasped and tightened herself around his shaft.

He thrust into her determinedly and Hermione rocketed higher than she ever thought possible. Hooking her legs over his back she pulled her head up to his throat and kissed the area just below his Adam's apple as she came again.

Every muscle in her body tightened nearly to the point of extreme pain and she knew only pure sexual pleasure. She let out an inarticulate series of cries; opening her legs even more and bringing herself a little further down on Severus's cock.

She moved her hands to his neck and pulled his head down to kiss his lips. She kissed him slowly, thoroughly, yet this time there was a sweetness to it that hadn't been present before. And it wasn't simply because she was too spent to kiss him with more savage passion.

There was more to it. She didn't quite understand it.

His lips responded in kind and met hers with an equal slow gentleness. He thrust into her deeply and she clenched her muscles to hold him there as she kissed him.

This was new. This was different.

This was nice.

Hermione had the bizarre desire to nuzzle her potions professor.

How odd. It didn't make any sense.

She looked into his eyes as he held himself inside her. It seemed from his expression that he too was feeling something . . . strange. Something different.

Hermione raised her hips to meet his and he met them with a strong rolling thrust. Though this time his actions were slower. Gentler.

Hermione continued to kiss him, admitting his tongue entrance into her mouth. He twined his tongue with hers, yet this time there was a softness to his touch.

It was more like a caress.

Hermione opened her hips as fully as she could letting him ply her body with deep slow thrusts.

Heat coiled tightly inside her. After a little while she thrust her hips up and forward, urging him to pick up the pace.

He readily complied. His thrusts came harder and faster punctuated by hot kisses. He nipped Hermione's lower lip and she jerked off the cushions beneath her. And as their lips met for one more heated kiss they came in unison.

They didn't immediately notice that anything was different as they continued the kiss through their mutual orgasm. A few minutes later when Hermione at last pulled back to properly look at Severus's face she noticed it.

Severus was glowing.It definitely wasn't something she was imagining. His skin was luminescent and it glowed like a light.

There was an odd look in his eyes. Was she glowing too? She guessed so.

"We're . . ." Severus said, trailing off unable to go on.

"What?" Hermione asked.

Severus removed himself from on top of her and sat on the edge of his couch. It seemed he was upset, he bent his head into his hands and when Hermione touched his shoulder he didn't respond.

"You know why we're glowing?" Hermione asked softly.

Severus nodded.

"Can you tell me?"

Severus didn't immediately respond. Slowly, he raised his head to look at her.

"It means your soul and mine make a perfect match."

Hermione swallowed and considered what he was saying.

"We're soulmates?" she asked gently.

Severus looked at her, his dark gaze burning into hers. He nodded once.

"I never considered the possibility, . . ." He said. His Adam's Apple moved sharply up and down and he looked away. Hermione touched his arm. He didn't jerk away.

"I suppose this explains my strong desire for you," she told him. She stared at him a look of sincere concern etched on her features. "Severus, you're trembling. Gods what's wrong?"

"Lucius," he whispered. "We never would have been together had he not cursed you."

"You think he knows we're soulmates?"

"I can't quite accept that this is a coincidence, can you?"

Hermione didn't immediately answer.

"What are we going to do?"

"Honestly, Hermione? I don't know."

Hermione put an arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"I trust you," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"I know."

The two of them sat in silence, both hoping that their fear was unfounded. Unfortunately they knew the opposite was far more likely to be the case.

"I need some time to think," Severus told her.

Hermione nodded.

"I don't want you going back to Gryffindor Tower tonight. If . . . if he does know, I don't want you in the halls alone, even with Potter's Invisibility Cloak. My bedroom's through that door on the left."

"Where are you going to be?"

"My private lab adjoins this room. It's in the room before this one. You can get to it through that door. It leads to the dungeons and while I normally but a very strong ward on its door, I think tonight I'll increase the spell's strength."

"Will you join me later?"

"I don't know."

He was trying to hide it; she could see that quite obviously, but there was a definite uneasiness in his eyes.

Shrugging her top on, Hermione met his gaze.

"We'll think of something," she said confidently.

"If the gods are kind,"

He left it unsaid that it was an accepted fact that the gods were very rarely kind. Frequently they were creatively and sadistically unkind.

Hermione gave him a small smile. Severus was unable to return it.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Lucius laughed to himself.

It was almost fully diminished now, but the stone had been so ablaze with light!

So, Severus Snape _did_ have a pure soul.

He was really going to have to do something about that. Something that involved exquisite pain and suffering.

Lucius smiled cruelly.

Fortunately, he had just the thing.

A/N: I'll post another chapter as soon as I can. : ) As much as I love writing completely evil!Lucius I decided to try my hand at writing a good!Lucius story. The first chapter has just been posted and you can find it in my profile.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

After warding his doors with the strongest spells he knew, Severus slipped out of the castle. The night air was cool and there was a strong breeze. He had to light his wand to see his way as the stars were obstructed by clouds and the moon was new.

Over the past three hours, Severus had wracked his mind for an easy way out of his present situation. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter was, there wasn't an easy way. There were painful ways, more painful ways, and last but certainly not least, suicidal ways.

Fate, to say the least, proved yet again to be a cold hearted bitch.

Severus Apparated to the property he owned in Spinner's End and opened a medium sized bronze chest in the parlor. It contained experimental potions. He ran his hand over the tops of the various corked bottles scanning labels until he found the number he was look for. He took the glass container from its slot with care.

Experimental Potion Eleven, a possible variant on the Veritaserum Potion that was still in the early stages of development. He held the sample in his palm staring at in the light provided by the candelabra he'd lit upon entering the room. Dumbledore had told him not to continue with this formula. In all the years he'd served the man, he'd never disobeyed him.

Until now. Severus held the liquid up to the light inspecting the clarity of the pale blue potion. In all honesty, even if he tried his level best to develop it into something usable for his purposes with Malfoy, there was a strong possibility it wouldn't work precisely as intended. But it was his only choice and his only chance at destroying the man.

If the Ministry of Magic knew about this potion, they'd probably throw Severus into a highly secure cell in Azkaban for the rest of his life. Dumbledore had told him to continue with it would be crossing the line. The potion, as Severus intended to use it, was unethical and immoral, according to the Great Albus Dumbledore.

As much as Severus respected the wizard, he'd disagreed with Dumbledore's sentiments so much that he'd never destroyed the sample now sitting between his fingers. At the time he'd packed it away, he didn't know when or if he'd ever work on the potion again. Now though, he was damn glad he hadn't destroyed it.

Severus exhaled rather forcefully, placing the glass container into a small protective box which he'd brought with him to take the potion back to Hogwarts. If he could spend the next few months finishing the potion, Severus was confident he could send Lucius to Azkaban. However, as the potion was deemed highly illegal Severus would be going there right along with him.

But there was no other way.

In the end it would be worth it. If that was the price he had to pay to protect Hermione, it would most definitely be worth it. Tucking the boxed sample potion into his coat pocket Severus stood up. After he returned to his rooms at Hogwarts to drop off his precious possession, he'd wake Hermione and tell her of his decision.

He wondered if it was asking too much to hope that she wouldn't despise him after she heard his plan. Upon further reflection he decided that yes, perhaps it was. And that sent a small spasm of emotion through his chest. He swallowed hard.

All things considered, maybe it was for the best if she did hate him.

Severus walked into the bedroom, his eyes falling on Hermione's sleeping form. He briefly reconsidered his decision to wake her and inform her of his intentions. After all, what good would it really do to rouse her from her rest only to make her miserable? He let out an almost inaudible sigh.

She deserved to know. He approached the bed and felt his chest tighten foreignly at the thought of how she might react. She wouldn't be happy. It would be so damn easy to walk away and never tell her.

But it wouldn't be right. His choice concerned her, did it not? Even if he didn't tell her, he knew she'd sure as hell notice what he'd done after the fact and seeing her face then wasn't something that sat well with him. He found he didn't want to examine too closely the reason why.

He sat down lightly on the edge of the bed. Hermione didn't stir.

"Hermione," said Severus gently. She then moved a little and blinked her eyes.

"What time is it?" she asked a bit groggily.

"Late," he told her. "I've come up with a solution for you."

"You mean for us, right?" Hermione asked looking up at him from her position on her back. "If Lucius truly knows we're Soul Matched he'll use it against you."

Severus aimed a look at her. It was unnervingly direct.

"Of that I am well aware. I shall endeavour to use it to my relative advantage."

"What does that mean?" Hermione asked sharply, quickly becoming fully awake.

"I've determined a way to free you from the curse. Remember that I told you I had a potion to nullify magical power?"

"And I told you I didn't want to take it!"

"Yes, but under those circumstances you wouldn't have been given the counter potion an hour or so later. The counter potion is also ready and it will allow your power to return in full, uncontaminated by Lucius's curse."

Hermione narrowed her eyes in perplexity.

"I'm not leaving Hogwarts."

"No, you're not."

Hermione sat up. "Let me see if I get this straight. Taking the nullifying potion will strip me of all magic including Lucius's curse. You want to then give me the potion that will re-manifest my magical power as soon as you are able, and when my magic comes back, the curse won't come back with it."

Severus gave a subtle nod.

"If you do that Lucius is going to figure out pretty damn quickly that I'm not cursed anymore."

"That won't matter."

Hermione threw him a look.

"Somehow, I rather think it will."

Hermione searched Severus's gaze, now dark and unyielding. There was something truly disconcerting in his expression.

"Why won't it matter?" she asked uneasily.

Severus didn't give a forthcoming reply.

"Answer me." There was a desperate tone in Hermione's voice and her eyes widened with growing fear.

"Considering Lucius has to know of our . . . unique connection . . . I must prevent him from running to the Dark Lord with news of my spectacular disloyalty. To my knowledge there is just one way I can do that for certain. I'm going to make him think that I've used the magic of the Soul Match, especially strong when matches are newly found, to transfer the curse to me. Such things are relatively easy with a little training in Legillimency."

Hermione didn't speak. She couldn't except for letting out a little strangled yelp of despair. It looked like she dearly wanted to protest and that she was trying her damnedest to come up with a better plan. Yet despite that she wanted to cry out against it, her logical mind couldn't find fault with Severus's decision.

If left to his own devices, Lucius would inform Voldemort that Severus had a pure enough soul to find a match with her. And then Voldemort would kill him. Lucius would be first in line to watch him suffer as he was slowly tortured.

Severus now had to convince Lucius that there was a benefit to keeping him alive. Considering Lucius's personal tastes in torture what better way to convince him to keep Severus's secret than to allow him to torture Severus in his favorite manner?

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut as her heart twisted in raw pain. Through sheer dint of will she opened her eyes and schooled her features into something she hoped was close to acceptance. She doubted it belied the fact that she was utterly sick inside.

She looked at Severus and didn't have to ask what he'd do if Malfoy failed to agree to keep quiet around Voldemort. That wasn't going to happen. Hermione was as certain of that as she was certain that Lucius was truly, irredeemably evil.

So Severus was going to the one thing he despised above all else in order to help her. It was noble, really, but that was a bitter consolation considering what that nobility would cost him.

Being Lucius Malfoy's sexual slave was better than dying slowly at Voldemort's hand. Though of course, that was definitely debatable.

Hermione held Severus's gaze without blinking.

"Will you really be able to make him believe"—

"Yes," Severus said tersely, cutting her off before she could finish the statement.

Hermione didn't want to think about what Severus was going to go through. But her mind couldn't help conjuring horrible images of him with Lucius. Bile rose in her throat and she forced herself to blink away tears.

Severus sensed what she was thinking. In truth, he was thinking about the same thing.

"This is the only way for me to ensure my survival. And the only way to free you from the curse."

"I know," Hermione said weakly, her voice nearly inaudible. "It's just horribly and disgustingly unfair."

"Life's seldom anything that even remotely constitutes as fair."

Hermione didn't say anything.

"I have a way to eventually send Lucius to Azkaban."

Hermione looked surprised by the unexpected news.

"Oh? What's changed?"

"Several years ago, I began developing a variant on Veritaserum. With the normal potion, you can only get answers from someone if they drink it. That's all well and good when you can actually get the person to ingest the potion. But if you need answers from someone who would never drink anything in your presence because they suspect you'd jump at the chance to drug them with something like a truth serum, you run into a very real problem. The potion I was working on was to give to the truth seeker, and there it differs from the normal version. Both potions take truth by force, but with normal Veritaserum the person your wringing truth from _knows_ they're talking because of the potion. My version is more subtle. A lot of people would say deviously so. At any rate, the variation works to mask the fact that the person is giving up truth by forcing their mind to ignore what they're saying. I needed to use something to divert a person's intention and set the potion to act as a mild potion equivalent to the Imperious Curse. I couldn't make the compulsion as strong in a potion as the true curse, but that didn't matter. Because the potion was made to be taken by those seeking truth there had to be a way for potion to work on other people. I found sexual contact to be the perfect way to induce the effects of Veritaserum. Despite everything known to magic, sex is a very easy way to manipulate people's minds. Not only would people never expect what I suppose you could call sexually transmitted Veratiserum, because it's compulsion combines with sexual desire, it's potency is much stronger. The old potion has been around for so long people have been able to develop certain resistances to it. I found a way to change that. The only catch is that many people expressed such a distaste in the potion's properties that I was ordered to destroy it by Albus Dumbledore. Fortunately for this situation with Lucius, I never did as I was told. The potion isn't yet in its final stages of development but everything had been going precisely to my plans at the time I was forced to abandon my experimentation."

"How long will it be before you can brew a completed potion?"

"I can't say for certain, but I'd estimate two to four months."

"That long?"

"Unfortunately, that's the best I can do. I'll have to be careful about when I work on it. I can't exactly let the Headmaster know I'm developing an illegal potion."

"Did Dumbledore say he had a specific reason for not approving of your potion?"

"Besides it being what he deemed dishonourable for the person seeking the truth he said there was a very real possibility of the potion being abused to get information from rape. I told him I'd make the potion so that truth could only be obtained from a consensual liaison but he didn't care."

"You don't think you should tell him why it's necessary for you to start working on it again?"

"Do I really need to answer that?"

"But if you send Lucius to Azkaban by using an illegal potion, . . ."

"Then I'll go to prison as well."

"No!" Hermione's eyes were stricken with soul-deep adamancy. "That's not acceptable."

"I'm afraid you don't get a choice in the matter," Severus told her.

Hermione looked at him, her eyes eerily serious.

"Tell me something," she said softly. "If we were in a different situation, and we found ourselves soul matched, would you care about me?"

Severus was more than a little taken aback by the question.

"I'm fairly certain you can answer that for yourself, can't you?"

Hermione swallowed.

"Perhaps, but I need to hear it come from you."

"To hell with what I'd do if the situation were different. I do care about you now, Hermione. Don't you know that?"

She smiled at him at that. Then she kissed him soundly on the lips.

"Then when Lucius goes to Azkaban you won't be going with him."

"Hermione,"

"_You're. Not. Going._"

Severus sighed.

"I'll be back in a minute or two with the potions you need," he told her and left the room.

Hermione watched him walk away. No one was going to send Severus to Azkaban. She'd personally Avada Kedavra whoever tried to imprison him first. Using a potion to put Malfoy behind bars was hardly a criminal act.

Severus returned and handed her a black coffee mug.

"It's very bitter, so I've diluted it with water. That won't affect the strength of the potion. You should drink it all within a minute or two."

Hermione took Severus's proffered mug and took a cup of swallows. She forced herself not to wrinkle her nose and took another several swallows instead. She could almost feel the inside of her throat shrivel up at the extreme taste of salt.

"You're sure this isn't salt water, with an emphasis on the salt?"

"I'm sure. It's supposed to be that way."

"Wonderful. I've still got half of it left."

Hermione suddenly shivered. It wasn't that she felt _weaker_ but she could feel a warm pins and needles feeling traveling over every inch of her skin. The sensation wasn't painful, but it was distinctly uncomfortable.

Hermione drank the rest of the potion in four swallows. After four minutes the prickling sensation faded away. She looked at Severus.

"Now what?"

"You wait an hour and take the other potion. You're not feeling light headed or sick to your stomach are you?"

"No."

Severus sat down beside her. She looked at him inquiringly.

"We have an hour?"

"We have an hour."

Hermione smiled slowly. "We don't have to spend it just sitting here, do we?"

"No," Severus told her. "No we most certainly don't."

"Good. We won't."

Hermione kissed him deeply, gently pulling him down by the shirt collar until he had to either shift his weight and position his body over hers or fall off the bed. He chose to adjust his position so that Hermione was beneath him.

They had an hour.

And though something told him it was incredibly selfish, the idea of losing himself in her body for the duration of that hour was the most glorious thing his mind could think of.

For it also told him that despite Hermione assertions that he would not be going to jail for brewing and using his variant on Veritserum, this could very well be the last time he could be with Hermione as a sexual partner.

A/N: I'd love to hear from all of you! Sorry it took a bit to update, the holidays have cramped my schedule for fanfiction. But I do think it was worth the wait. : )

For anyone who likes pet pictures, check out the photo I took this week just replace the dots with the actual symbol:

http://Bellafiradotdeviantartdotcom/art/Kiss-107484071


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Devil's Snare

"Hermione, it's morning."

Hermione opened her eyes at the sound of the potion master's voice. She found him lying on his side next to her, his expression inscrutable.

"I don't want it to be morning," she said softly.

"You should go before anyone sees you leaving this part of the castle."

"I know I should."

Hermione looked into Severus's eyes. He silently held her gaze. Hermione was afraid to say anything further. She had a terrible feeling that if she did she was going to break into tears. There was a sickening tightness in her stomach. Before he had a chance to move away, Hermione leaned forward and kissed Severus soundly. When she pulled back she noticed a change in his expression.

"Please," he said. "Don't make this more difficult than it already is."

The emotion in his voice was enough to bring physical pain to Hermione's chest.

"I'll send Harry to speak to you if I have any trouble with magic. If I need another potion, you can give it to him and he'll give it to me."

"I don't expect that will be necessary."

"If it is, I'll send Harry." Hermione's words came out more sharply than she would have liked them to be. Severus didn't say anything more as Hermione gathered her things to leave. When she was ready to go to the door she turned around to face him. Severus didn't approach her.

Despite her aggressive resolve, that alone was enough to bring the first burning sensations of tears to Hermione's eyes. She forced the tears back, straightening her spine.

_If that's how he wants to behave, . . . Fine._

"I suppose I'll see you in class on Tuesday," she told him. Her words were calm and confident and they belied the turmoil of emotion she felt inside of her. Inside, she was breaking. She waited a full ten seconds before turning her back on him and moving to the door. Her hand had just touched the doorknob when Severus called to her.

"If I believed we could accept the consequences, I'd take you away with me where we could live beyond Lucius's reach."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Hermione asked.

"No, but it's the truth."

Hermione tightened her grip on the door. Part of her wanted nothing more than to go back and try to convince him that they could accept the consequences. The larger more rational part of her mind held her resolute.

"Just don't let him win," she said.

Hermione left the room. She returned to Gryffindor Tower to find Harry sitting alone in the Common Room, a crumpled letter in his hands. He looked up from staring into the fireplace at the sound of Hermione's footsteps. His eyes were hard.

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked him, hoping that he hadn't somehow become angry at her. Fortunately, Harry's expression softened a degree or two in her presence.

"Apparently I've been removed from Gryffindor's Quidditch team."

"What?! That can't be true!"

Harry smiled ruefully. "According to this piece of parchment, it can and it is."

Hermione plucked the item out of Harry's grip and scanned its contents.

_Harry James Potter,_

_In light of recent events concerning talk of indelicate behaviour which has awakened a certain degree of animosity towards you in several people, there has been a request to Petition Your Removal from the House Quidditch Team. I'm afraid I must inform you that the Petition passed with more than the required number of signatures needed for it to go into effect. Please turn in your uniform at your earliest convenience._

_I'm sorry I cannot override your peers' Petition. I believe you and Miss Granger have been unfairly judged, and if it were up to me, this would not be happening. I feel I must warn you that this new turn of events will only make the situation more difficult to bear. While I do hate to admit it, there are plenty of students at this institution who love scandals. Please use discretion in your future behaviour. That is, do try not to add fuel to the fire. If you do your best not to feed the situation, I expect everyone will lose interest sooner rather than later._

_-Regards,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

"She sent a copy of the petition. I burnt it a few minutes ago."

Hermione looked stricken.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so terribly sorry. This is all my fault."

Harry snorted. "It most certainly _is not."_

"But"-

Harry gave her a meaningful look and held up his right hand to stave off any more attempts for Hermione to blame herself. Unfortunately, Hermione wasn't so easily dissuaded.

"But if I were you right now, _I'd _blame me."

"Well then it's a good thing that you aren't me."

Hermione sat down next to Harry rather heavily. She was silent for several seconds.

"Severus freed me from the curse," she said softly. Harry looked at her, his gaze questioning. After taking a deep breath, Hermione proceeded to explain to him about the different potions that removed and replaced magic. She stopped before telling him that Severus planned to make Lucius think he'd transferred her curse to himself. But Harry was quite smart and it didn't take long for him to ask about what Lucius would think about the recent turn of events. He sensed Hermione's pained hesitation. For a long time Hermione didn't say a word. She wasn't even sure if she could bring herself to say it aloud.

The next thing she noticed was that Harry's hand was on her arm.

"You're shaking. Hermione, please tell me what's troubling you."

Hermione wondered just how quickly the potions master would kill her if he knew she'd divulged to Harry such a private secret. But she was so afraid that keeping everything inside of her would only drive her mad.

"Harry, if you breathe a word of what I'm about to tell you to any other soul, I'm fairly certain that Severus will kill us both."

Harry's eyes widened. "For God's sake, Hermione, what is it?"

"Years ago, Lucius used Severus." Hermione paused looking at Harry to make sure he took her meaning. Harry recoiled a little, obviously understanding what the statement implied. "He used a curse on him like the one he put on me."

"And I'll bet it was simply for his own twisted enjoyment. Merlin, that man has no inhibitions. Could you imagine what it would be like if he was in Voldemort's place?"

"I'd really rather not to, Harry. Severus's plan is to make Lucius believe that he took the curse away from me and put it on himself."

"If he's willing to go to such an extreme to protect you, Snape must really care for you," Harry said softly.

Harry's words brought a large lump to Hermione's throat and she couldn't immediately say anything. She settled for merely nodding and forcing herself to manage a weak smile. Hermione wondered if she should tell Harry about Severus's potion. She wanted to think that she could trust Harry with absolutely anything, but knowing how close he was to Dumbledore, Hermione had a small feeling his loyalty to the Headmaster would prove stronger than his resolve to keep such a significant secret. Harry didn't need to know, at least not right now.

Harry looked at her, calmly curious. "So Snape is going to re-subject himself to Lucius. What's the next part of his plan?"

Hermione gave him a sidelong look. "What if I told you it might be better if you didn't ask questions?"

"Hermione . . ."

"Please, Harry?"

"He told you not to tell me."

Hermione's lips tightened into a thin line. She hovered on the edge of telling Harry everything, part of her wanted nothing more than to confide in her best friend. After all, Severus's current plan had the glaring problem of him facing a prison sentence if it was successful. Perhaps Harry would be able to help her think of a way to keep Severus out of Azkaban. Perhaps . . .

_No, now is definitely not the time,_ she told herself.

"You understand, don't you, Harry?"

"I respect you. If you think it's best not to tell me what Severus is planning, I'll trust your judgement. But should you change your mind and you wish to talk to me, know that I am here for you whenever you need me to be."

Hermione hugged Harry, hiding her face behind Harry's shoulder so he wouldn't see the few tears that had quickly formed in her eyes and were just starting to spill onto her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"Thank you." She said before pulling away. "What time is it? We haven't missed breakfast yet, have we?"

"I don't think we have. Shall we go downstairs together?"

"That probably isn't the best of ideas right now, but you know what? I don't think I care."

Harry smiled. "If you don't care, I don't care. Lead the way."

As it was the weekend, Harry and Hermione proved not to be the last students to arrive late to breakfast. The two of them had just entered the room when a sudden jolt of pain nearly tore the breath from Hermione's lungs. She tensed, clenching her jaw against the burning pulses that wracked her body. Her right hand latched onto Harry's wrist with a painfully strong grip.

"Hermione, what's the matter? You're hurting me."

Hermione swallowed against the pain and forced herself to loosen her hold on Harry. Her heart was in her throat. This shouldn't be happening. It should have been impossible after Severus had removed her magic.

Hermione straightened, fighting to look normal. She pulled Harry towards her and moved her lips to his ear.

"Tell me Harry," Hermione said in a low voice just above a whisper. "Is Lucius staring at me?"

Harry turned his head in a subtle movement towards the Staff Table. He was careful to be discreet in his actions. Sure enough, the blonde Death Eater was coolly gazing down upon them. Before Harry turned away, a touch of a nasty smile appeared around the corners of Lucius's mouth. Before turning back, Harry noticed that Severus wasn't sitting at the table. Harry could well assume that Severus wished to be alone before having to privately face Lucius.

Harry looked back at Hermione and was vaguely aware that he they were beginning to draw attention from the seated Gryffindors. Fortunately, Hermione was doing a valiant job of not letting on that Lucius was affecting her. She proceeded to walk towards the far left corner of the table where there was an open space for her and Harry to sit down. Harry had no choice but to follow her.

Once they were seated, Harry fixed a startling direct gaze upon Hermione.

"What the hell is the matter?" he asked, forcing himself to keep his voice low.

Hermione shuddered slightly and Harry immediately put his hand on her shoulder. She didn't look at him. Instead, she picked up a cinnamon muffin and delicately bit into it, chewed and swallowed. Only after a minute or so did she speak again. When she did, her voice was barely audible.

"He's still affecting me, Harry. I don't understand it. I really thought I was free." Hermione swallowed hard and forced herself to take a small sip of pumpkin juice.

"Let's go to McGonagall, she'll"-

"No."

"No? What then are you going to do? You have to do something."

"I don't know. I do know it won't be that."

Hermione closed her eyes briefly, wishing she could will herself to a world where Lucius Malfoy didn't exist. She opened her eyes and became aware of the speculative murmurs of her Gryffindor peers who were currently discussing the possible reasons for her and Harry's late arrival to the Great Hall. Of the things Hermione distinctly heard two of them were quite creatively graphic. She could nearly feel Harry tense beside her.

"Don't react Harry. It won't help. Remember, that's what they want you to do."

Hermione ate some more, her mind too preoccupied with Lucius Malfoy to even consider thinking about the other Gryffindors. She'd lied to Harry. She'd had to.

Nothing had worked. And if Severus's most advanced potions couldn't free her from Lucius's control, nothing would. She was sure of it. That left her with one option if she wanted to truly free herself from the pain

She was going to have to go to him.

And he damn well knew it.

A/N: I'm back. Sorry for the really long wait. I changed schools. So another twist in the plot. Did anyone expect it? I couldn't let Hermione get away unscathed while poor Severus has to suffer. So, what do you all think? : )


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Hermione was sickeningly afraid. Her fear sat deep in her stomach and while the calmly logical part of her mind told her that giving into her fear and allowing it to take hold would only serve to make things much worse, she couldn't compose herself into even a semi-normal mental state.

The small part of her mind that was still functioning at a normal level told herself that the full impact of the situation hadn't hit her yet. There was an overwhelming, almost unbelievably surreal quality to the situation.

Hermione's nerves were numb and there was an unshakable cold band of dread within her chest.

As the day wore on, there were times she had to remind herself to breathe.

She'd been sitting on the sofa in the Gryffindor Common room after leaving Harry to his classes. He hadn't wanted to leave her alone, but she'd insisted. She wasn't about to have him take lower marks in his classes on her account. Besides, if he went out of his way to stay with her, . . . just look at how well that had turned out the first time.

Hermione curled herself into a ball. At least, Lucius now had classes to teach. And even if he didn't, she doubted he would suddenly burst into the Gryffindor Common Room. Not that it would really matter any more if he did. Before the end of the day, she was going to pay Lucius a visit.

At this point she really had no choice. Her stomach tightened convulsively as she thought about him. Lucius's curse urged her body to sharp arousal and Hermione held her breath until the disgustingly powerful feeling passed. It had lasted for perhaps ten seconds, but had felt like much longer.

_You'll find a way to make him pay. Severus has a plan,_ Hermione thought to herself. _No matter what, you'll find a way._

She forced herself not to think about what would occur when she faced Lucius. It was all so horribly unfair. When would it be over? And when it finally was over, what would she have left?

Would she still have Severus? And what of her self-respect?

Severus stared at the staff master schedule. It was bitterly ironic that he and Lucius both had a free period at the beginning of the day. He made his decision to seal his fate with the man without hesitation. After all, it wouldn't be any easier if he put it off and in fact waiting would only make Lucius more suspicious.

Severus made his way to Lucius's rooms. As he walked he made sure he had his strongest mental barriers in place. Never before had he so carefully concealed his emotions without actually being in Voldemort's presence. Before today, he'd never truly had a reason to. Yet now . . .

Damn it, but he was afraid. The last thing he'd do would be to let Lucius see his fear. The bastard would only get off on it and take the greatest pleasure in using it against him.

And while Lucius would surely _know_ he was afraid, what Lucius privately knew and what he physically saw were two very different matters. If Severus kept his fear under his strongest mental lock and key, he'd be depriving Lucius the satisfaction of being able to witness it. And any time that Severus could deprive Lucius of anything he considered pleasurable, Severus counted as a private victory.

Severus didn't knock before entering Lucius's private chambers. He did however, magically lock the door behind him. Lucius was nowhere to be seen. Severus almost wondered whether Lucius was in his rooms. He moved further into the room and crossed into the adjoining chamber that held contained a set of double windows, eight feet high that looked out onto the trees of the Forbidden Forest. Lucius was standing stock still, staring out the left window.

"So," said Lucius without turning around. "You're finally here to reveal your true colours. No false pretenses, no carefully guarded secrets."

Severus didn't immediately answer. Every instinct he possessed screamed at him to carry on as usual and try his damnedest to make Lucius think he was a true-blue Death Eater. Yet even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew it would be an exercise in futility. Lucius _knew_ the truth. Severus didn't know what had tipped him off so completely and he doubted Lucius would tell him.

Lucius turned to face Severus. The calm look of pure self-satisfaction in Lucius's cold eyes made Severus's stomach tighten in revulsion. Lucius's lips twitched into an utterly soulless smile.

"You truly do care for her," he said softly, his voice nearly a purr.

"Yes," said Severus, knowing that once the word was spoken, he could never take it back. It was such an innocuous sounding little syllable, yet it's utterance condemned him to become beholden to Lucius's will. Lucius approached him slowly, and Severus noticed a cocky triumph in the man's steps. Lucius tsked softly. The sound made Severus's blood run cold.

"Tell me," Lucius intoned, "knowing that your life rests in the palm of my hand, what do you propose to do now? You're quite like an insect really, at any given moment I might decide to crush you."

"I made a transfer potion and took her curse upon myself," Severus told Lucius.

There was a period of several seconds' silence before Lucius spoke. Before Lucius uttered even one syllable, Severus knew with certainty that the man saw through his lie.

"Lie to me again, and it will be her life I take." Lucius eyed Severus with a steely glint in his gaze. "There is but one way for your darling Mudblood whore to free herself. _On her back_."

Inwardly, Severus flinched harshly at Lucius's words. Outwardly, he forced himself not to display any signs of submission.

"Did you know before you cursed her that her soul was a match to mine?" he asked, without emotion.

"Of course."

"So it was all an elaborate plan to get me back into your bed?"

"Got it in one, Severus. I thought of everything I could try and this was the only way I could be sure to get you." Lucius stepped directly behind Severus. Severus's stomach twisted uncomfortably as he anticipated Lucius's next move. To his credit, he checked his urge to shudder in open revulsion when Lucius's hand came around his left hip and then slid further forward none too gently. Lucius's fingers played over Severus's body, surprisingly feather soft at first and then slowly increasing pressure. Though it had been quite some time, Lucius knew Severus's body and knew exactly what it would take to force him to arousal.

In the face of the situation, Severus could do nothing but allow it to happen. And though the sudden flood of self-loathing was thick and cloying, Severus knew there would be time enough for that later.

Once Severus became half hard, Lucius stilled his hand and brought his lips to Severus's ear.

"You know, for a man who claims to hate me beyond all measure, you put on a very convincing show that tells quite a different story."

Severus chose to ignore Lucius's comment. There was only one thing on his mind and it had nothing to do with the man behind him.

"Let her go, Lucius," said Severus, his voice oddly hollow. The blonde Death Eater let out a disparaging little snort.

"_Whyever should I?_ Especially when its so much fun to watch her suffer."

Severus turned his head to meet Lucius's gaze.

"You have what you want. You have me."

Lucius's lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. He appeared to consider Severus thoughtfully.

"Perhaps, if you work very hard to please me and don't waste your time concocting foolish illegal potions, I just might think about considering the possibility of letting your precious little Gryffindor go."

Severus went visibly still at Lucius's words. "What's the matter, Severus? You look so surprised."

"You heard my last conversation with her."

Lucius's eyes glittered with triumph.

"I created that curse myself. Surely you don't think me stupid enough not to take steps to ensure the efficacy of my plan?"

"I've thought you to be many things, stupid has never been one of them."

"You can experiment with potions all you want. You aren't going to magically discover a way to hurt me. Though if it makes you feel better, I encourage you to try."

He was the utter picture of self-confidence. There was absolutely no trace of uncertainty in his voice or his bearing.

"Dark magic requires dark energy. I don't suppose you'd tell me the source of the curse's power."

Lucius snorted indelicately. "Not that the information would be of any use to you, but no, I don't suppose I will." Lucius turned his attention once more to Severus's body. For a few seconds, he resumed the gentle play over the dark silk of Severus's clothing. Then suddenly without any warning, he clenched his hand into a tight fist. "Fancy a little wager Severus?"

"A wager?" Severus asked, trying for sarcasm but unable to pull off his usual potency due to the uncharacteristic note of uneasiness in his voice.

"Twenty galleons says I can make you come in less than ten minutes. I'll even go double or nothing that I can make you say my name while you do." Lucius let out a soft laugh. "What do you say, Severus, are you game?"

"Why do you insist on pretending as if I have a choice in the matter?"

"Only to make things interesting until you are fully prepared to give yourself to me entirely."

Severus swallowed down the sudden growl of anger that burned to escape his throat. It wouldn't do anything to improve the situation if he provoked Lucius's displeasure.

"Why don't you make it triple or nothing Lucius."

Lucius's grinned soullessly. "Indeed I shall."

Hermione hated sitting alone. After a few hours, she found she wished she'd asked Harry to stay with her. Being alone magnified her fear. Her chest hurt and it wasn't easy for her to breathe deeply.

She should have asked Severus for something to take away the brutal anxiety. Considering how she felt now, she couldn't believe she'd allowed herself to believe that things would be better for her. She really should have known better.

She was oddly empty of any confidence. That alone scared her as much as anything else she was dealing with. The fact that Lucius had such power over her, that he could control her so effortlessly was as agonizing as any of the physical pain she experienced.

She just wanted it all to end.

She couldn't bring herself to hope that if she gave herself to him, Lucius would lose all interest in her. Yet surely, he couldn't intend to torture her forever.

Hermione shuddered against a particularly long burst of pain.

_If only I could find a way to turn the curse back on him,_ she thought miserably. _The fucking bastard deserves a taste of his own medicine._

There was nothing more to be done. She _had_ to give in to Lucius. If she didn't, there really would come a point in time where she'd lose her sanity from the pain. A traitorous voice in her head told her she might lose her sanity anyway.

She felt as if she were walking along the edge of a towering precipice. Just one misstep would send her plummeting. There was a creeping fear working its way inwards from the edges of her consciousness. It was deeper than anything she'd ever felt.

Despite whatever Harry might say, or even Severus's selfless desire to save her, she was well and truly alone in her fight against Lucius. Hermione swallowed down a wave of nausea. If she slipped there was no one who could save her from falling.

She was teetering on the edge and she was going to do everything in her power to make sure her feet remained on solid ground.

She hoped to whatever god might be listening that she wouldn't lose her balance.


End file.
